


Favors

by monkeyihihji



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: But the other doesn't know it, Christmas Presents, Christmas Shopping, Cuddling, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Ferris Wheels, Flirting, Fluff, Food Fight, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oktober Fest, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, Stiles is in college, Thanksgiving, Wedding, adding more tags as I go, carnival date, fake dates, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24866056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkeyihihji/pseuds/monkeyihihji
Summary: It was supposed to only be a one time thing; Stiles needed someone to pretend to be his boyfriend for one evening so he asked Derek. Now, both of them found each other asking the other for small favors while pretending to still be boyfriends for certain friends and family. It's only a matter of time before fake feelings start to develop into something real.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 48
Kudos: 878
Collections: Scmoop, Teen wolf





	1. September

Riiiiiiing. 

Riiiiiiing. 

Please, please, please,  _ please  _ answer, Stiles pleaded in his mind as the trilling of the phone rang in his ear. If he didn’t answer, Stiles was going to be in a major disaster. Well, not major, but getting caught in lie could sometimes equivocate to a disaster. It wasn’t like he had meant to lie anyway, it just sort of happened and now he had to call the person he least expected would help him. 

Riiiiiiii--

“What?” A very groggy sounding Derek Hale responded from the other end. 

“Heeeey, Derek.” Stiles tried sounding less annoying than normal, which of course made him sound more annoying. 

“Stiles? Is everything alright? Who’s hurt!?” 

He tried not to think too much about the guilt he felt about waking up the werewolf, “Woah, calm down there, buddy. Everyone is perfectly fine. I actually, uh, need a favor.”

“A favor.” Derek repeated. It should be illegal to sound that adorable when half asleep, “What time is it?” 

“Don’t worry about that! It--” 

“You woke me up at one in the morning to ask me a  _ favor _ ?” Derek’s voice sounded very unimpressed coming through the small phone speaker. 

Stiles winced, “Good morning?” Technically, it was four in the morning for him.

There was a heavy sigh and the sound of rustling, “Goodbye, Stiles.” 

“Nononono! I need you to date me!” Fuck. Stiles was thankful that Derek couldn’t see how red he had just turned. “But not really date me. I need a fake date and it has to be you.” Oh god. That didn’t sound right. He was going about this all wrong. “I sorta kinda told some of my buddies that I have a boyfriend back home and they didn’t believe me and one thing led to another and I told them we were dating.” 

There was a long silence and Stiles could hear his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. Could werewolves hear hearts over the phone? He couldn't even hear breathing from Derek and he started panicking even more. 

“There’s this asshole, Jake, and he keeps asking me out despite me constantly saying no. And now I understand how Lydia felt because it’s really annoying having someone constantly fawn over you. Although, he's creepy about it. So me and some friends were all hanging out in my dorm and he asked me to this Oktoberfest Carnival coming to town next week and I told him I have a boyfriend just to get him off my back.” Stiles was aware he was rambling, but at this point in the morning he was sleep deprived and two wrong sentences away from having a mild panic attack. 

“He asked who I was dating and I just started describing some random guy and then my other friend, Marley, pointed to a picture of the Pack I have on my desk and she asked if it was you. So I panicked and said yes.” He most definitely left out the part where Marley called Derek an absolute sex god and Jake saying that he was too hot to be dating Stiles. 

Stiles flopped down on his bed and waited for Derek to say anything. He was just starting to think the guy had fallen back asleep before he spoke up. “So you want me to go to this carnival with you to prove to this creepy guy that we’re dating?” 

“Yes! All you have to do is maybe hold my hand for a few hours and be all in love with me if he’s around.”

“Okay.” 

“Please, Derek. I honest to God won’t ask anything from you ever again. I’ll even--wait. Okay? You’re okay with it? I thought it was going to take more to convince you.” 

There was a rustling sound and Stiles imagined it was Derek turning over in his bed, “The guy is obviously bothering you. I’d rather help you out and get rid of him than freak you out for the rest of the school year.” 

Stiles fist pumped the air with his free hand as a grin broke over his face. He thanked whatever powers that be that Derek answered his phone. “Thank you, dude. You have no idea what this means to me.” 

“Uh huh.” His voice sounded lower than normal and Stiles realized that Derek was falling asleep.

“Cool, I’ll talk to you later! Remember, Oktoberfest, so try being festive? Wear something fall-ish… Maybe a hat. Wait, do you own any hats? I don’t think I’ve seen you in one.” 

“Goodnight, Stiles.” 

  
  


Stiles had called Derek again the next day and made sure that he did, in fact, agree to Stiles’ pleas. Maybe some people would say that it wasn’t the brightest idea to invite Derek to a carnival all the way on the other side of the country, but Stiles didn’t really care. Well, at first he did care and he had even told Derek he would buy the plane ticket but that was before Derek had told him that it was okay, he was using Peter’s card. After that, Stiles was pretty excited about having someone other than his Dad come and visit him in DC. He and Scott had tried a few times to plan something, but their schedules never really worked out. 

Stiles had given Derek the address where the Oktober Carnival was being held and Derek had promised that he would fly out and be ready to meet him Thursday night. Apparently that was the best ticket he could find in such a short time frame. Derek also had to factor in his new job with Beacon Hills Construction so he was only able to visit for the night before he was off again by morning. Sure, Stiles was a little bummed that they wouldn’t be able to meet before their whole fake-date, but at this point he took what he could get. 

Now it was Thursday night and he was waiting around at the outskirts of the attractions looking for the familiar grumpy face. He had promised to meet up Jake, Marley--who were both still on the fence about the whole boyfriend excuse--at the Ferris Wheel around 10 p.m.. He looked at his phone to check the time and to see if there were any missed messages from Derek. They had about an hour and a half to wander around by themselves before they had to go and lie to the people that Stiles liked to call his friends. Stiles huffed and shoved his hands in pockets as he searched through the crowds of heads, trying to find a familiar face. 

He spotted someone near a bench that looked vaguely familiar and he made his way over. The figure turned around and Stiles began mumbling something similar to  _ Oh, fuck me _ under his breath before he reminded himself of werewolf hearing. He couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate the absolute beauty that was Derek Hale. The werewolf was wearing his maroon henley, his black leather jacket, and a pair of dark jeans that did wonders for his ass. Stiles straightened his own plaid shirt and hurried his pace to reach him. 

He was going to say something kind like ‘ _ Thanks for dressing festive’  _ or  _ ‘Nice shirt. Very seasonal’ _ , but instead this tumbled out of his mouth: “I told you to wear a hat.” 

The eyebrows perched on Derek’s forehead scrunched in annoyance, “You told me “maybe a hat”. I don’t own any hats… unlike someone I know.” Derek eyed the slouched beanie clinging to Stiles’ head. 

Stiles motioned to his plaid and jeans combo, “It completes the outfit, okay?” 

Derek shrugged, “I don’t know. It kinda makes you look douchey.” 

“It does not!” Stiles’ instantly wrapped the top of his head in a protective hand shield, “You’re winning me a stuffed animal just because of that comment.” He glared at Derek and began stomping over to the entrance of the carnival. 

There was suddenly a hand on his shoulder preventing him from moving, “Wait. Just like that? We aren’t going to talk about a game plan or anything?” Derek removed his hand and crossed his arms. 

“A game plan? Derek, it’s a carnival. Not a wolves den.” Stiles started to smirk at his joke before realizing that the poor guy looked terrified. Jeez, you’d think Stiles asked him to a fight club. Hell, he looked less nervous fighting two combined Alpha twins than walking into a carnival. 

Derek hid his panic with a look of unamusement, “I know that, Stiles. It’s just… what’s the plan?” 

Plan. Right. He definitely did not stress all week about the fact that he was going on a fake date with Derek instead of making a plan. “The plan is to just act… coupley?” 

“Coupley?”

Stiles nodded, cringing at his tone, “Yeah. Hold hands, share food, look adoringly into each other's eyes.”

“You don’t have a plan, do you?” 

“No.” Stiles hung his head low, “I kinda was distracted this week.” It wasn’t his fault that he had major tests in two of his classes on top of the stress related to tonight.

He heard Derek sigh, “Well, are we meeting your friends somewhere?” 

“Oh! Yeah, at the Ferris Wheel at ten.” He pointed to the large attraction, “Other than that, we’re on our own.” 

Stiles looked over to see Derek studying him and the next thing he knew, he was being engulfed in one of the warmest hugs he had ever received. It took a moment to realize that it was actually Derek that was hugging him. Not that Stiles was complaining, he would never say no to a hug--especially from Derek. He was just a little surprised because he’s pretty sure that he’s never even touched the werewolf anywhere other than his shoulder, let alone a hug. 

“They might be watching us,” Derek growled in his ear. ”Hug me back, dumb ass.”

Right. Why hadn’t Stiles thought of that? Jake and Marley were probably hiding and watching him. He wrapped his arms around Derek’s neck and… well, shit. Derek was a great hugger. Stiles closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of worn leather with an earthy moss undertone; it wasn’t fair, he even smelled great. Derek pulled away and looked at Stiles and he had a panicked moment in thinking they were going to kiss. Instead, Derek reached for Stiles’ hand and slowly laced their fingers together while keeping eye contact, as if asking if it was alright and Stiles gave his hand a light squeeze to let him know it was. 

“I guess we should go pretend to like each other for an hour?” Stiles offered weakly, trying not to focus on how warm Derek’s hand was. 

“Lead the way.” Derek said, offering a small smile. 

Stiles pulled Derek into the crowd of people milling around the entrance. He assumed it would be awkward having Derek around given that the two rarely had any alone time while Stiles was in high school, but it honestly wasn’t bad at all. Derek caught him up on all the drama that was Beacon Hills; apparently things had died down considerably now that a True Alpha wasn’t living there. The danger followed Scott, who knew? Derek also now had a job at Beacon Hill’s Construction and it was doing wonders for the guy’s already large muscles. They continued to hold hands on the chance that Stiles’ friends spotted them before the designated time. 

Stiles also caught Derek up to speed on what was going on in his life. He explained how he and Lydia decided that, while they did love each other, they weren’t really relationship material; she wanted to focus on college and Stiles respected that. He also talked about how he met Jake and Marley and even though he hated Jake, he was friends with him because he was Marley’s best friend. Jake just creeped him out. No matter how many times Stiles’ said he wasn’t interested, the guy would still ask him out and be an all around creeper when obviously checking Stiles out. 

Once the two had caught up, they focused on the rides and games. Derek admitted--to Stiles dismay--that he didn’t care for that many rides. “I rode too many one time as a kid and I puked. Ever since, I haven’t been able to handle rides.” 

Stiles nodded, “Dude. I totally get you. One time, Scott and I did this spinning ride like the whole night and we were so sick the next day. It didn’t stop us from doing it again though! But it’s okay, we can stick to the games. You gotta win me a prize, remember?”

The two men turned their attention to the countless booths of carny games and prizes and it wasn’t long before Stiles eyed a cute wolf plushie prize from the ring toss, “That one.” He pointed. 

Derek followed his finger and then looked back and glared at Stiles, “The wolf? Really?” 

“You called my hat douchey.” Stiles fake pouted. 

“You’re ridiculous.” Derek rolled his eyes as he let go of Stiles’ and paid the worker three dollars for five rings. Stiles convinced himself that he did not miss the warmth of his hand. 

It turns out that Derek was not great at Ring Toss. No matter how many times he tried to toss the ring lightly, it would soar far beyond the necks of the bottles. Apparently werewolf senses didn’t help you with everything. The growls of frustration that left him amused Stiles. Who knew Derek would get so frustrated over a stupid game? He finally stopped the werewolf after he had wasted fifteen dollars and the last growl was definitely more animal than a frustrated human. 

“Alright, I think you’re cut off.” Stiles placed a hand on the ring Derek was holding. 

“One more toss.” Derek growled at him. 

“Dude, the game is literally rigged. The rings are made out of a hard, bouncy plastic and aren’t the same size as the necks of the bottles.” Derek glared at him and Stiles held up his hands, “Or you could waste your time with one more toss.”

Derek nodded and lined the ring with one of the bottles. Stiles took this as another moment to soak in how great Derek looked. He really looked a lot happier than previous years and Stiles wondered if it was because things in Beacon Hills had finally started to die down. He watched as Derek took a deep breath in and tossed the last ring. The ring floated through the air before landing on one of the closest bottle’s neck and staying. 

“You did it!” Stiles cheered as he raised his arms up in the air. “Oh yeah! Fuck you, Ring Toss!” 

The carnie moved from his seat, “Congratulations.” He said in a monotone voice, “Here’s your prize.” He handed Derek a small plush wolf keychain. 

Derek stared at it and followed Stiles away from the booth. “I wasted fifteen bucks for this?” 

“Wasted? No,” Stiles plucked it from his hands, “It’s perfect and forever going on my key chain.” He pulled his keys from his pocket and clipped the wolf on to the key ring. “Thanks! No one has actually won me something, kinda funny that it happens on a fake date.” 

Derek gave him a look with his brows furrowed and Stiles translated it to  _ What do you mean _ ? 

“Well, my first legit girlfriend was Malia and when the carnival came to Beacon, she didn’t really like it besides all the rides. And then the next was Lydia and she absolutely refused to go anywhere near something so dirty. And I mean, occasional hook-ups aren’t really the ‘Let me win you a prize’ type.” Stiles shrugged as he fiddled with the small wolf before pocketing his keys. 

He looked up to see Derek giving him another odd look. This time, Stiles couldn’t make out what Derek was trying to say. The poor guy looked like whatever he was thinking was painful and the air between them started to turn awkward. Great. Stiles ruined it by talking about past relationships--just like if it would’ve been a real date. Derek’s eyes were locked on his and he never really realized how green they actually were. God, if he wasn’t careful he might actually catch feelings for Derek again. Yeah, sure. Stiles had a thing for the older man in high school and Derek may or may not have been part of the whole experience of discovering he wasn’t exactly straight. But Stiles was older now and he had grown so much from when he was in high school and he had definitely outgrown his crush on Derek Hale. Mostly outgrown. 

Derek’s eyes traveled from Stiles to something behind him, “I think I found Jake.” He growled.

Stiles turned around to see his friends gathered by the Ferris Wheel. He couldn’t help but feel a little glee from the glare Jake was giving Derek. “Yep that’s them!” His hand found Derek’s again and he led them towards his friends.

“So this is the famous boyfriend we’ve heard nothing about?” Jake sneered, looking Derek up and down

“Yep. Derek. My boyfriend.” Stiles patted Derek’s arm lightly. He didn’t really care much for Jake and he was enjoying having the chance to fuck with him. 

Derek’s hand pulled away from his and suddenly, there was an arm wrapped around his waist and Stiles was pulled closer. He half expected the arm to leave, but instead he felt Derek’s hand smoothly find his way to his jean pocket and slip in. Stiles felt his checks redden as Derek’s hand cupped his ass and he looked to his right to see the werewolf looking completely relaxed like he hadn’t just done the smoothest move Stiles had ever seen. 

“And you must be Jack?” Derek asked politely. 

Jake’s face scrunched and he looked like he had tasted something sour before he responded, “Jake, actually.” 

There was a bright flash of a camera phone and Marley made a squeal of excitement, “You guys are just the cutest! I’m so pissed that Stiles never said anything about you. How did you two meet? How long have you been together!?”

Shit. This was probably what Derek meant by having a game plan. Great, now they were going to get caught because for once in Stiles’ life he didn’t plan ahead. He could say a few weeks, but then it would be weird to have such a new boyfriend visit for a stupid carnival. If he said a few years then he would have to explain to everyone why he never mentioned having a boyfriend. Damn it! He was usually clever when coming up with little white lies but it seemed like his brain completely shut down. 

“Six months.” Derek’s voice echoed in his head. “Well, technically six. That’s when we made it official.” Stiles stared while Derek winked at him. 

“Right,” Stiles cleared his throat. “I had a huge thing for him for most of high school but, I mean, he’s older so I didn’t really want to tell anyone because my dad would’ve freaked. We finally got together like a month before my graduation.” 

“More like Stiles got tired of going out behind his dad’s back so he made it official.” Derek added on in an annoyed tone. “It still must be a habit to keep our relationship hush-hush.” 

Marley squealed again, “Oh! That’s just the cutest thing I’ve ever heard!” 

Jake, on the other hand, didn’t look so pleased. “I don’t buy it.” He said grumpily. 

Stiles bristled, “You don’t believe he’s my boyfriend?” 

“Yeah. I bet he’s just some random friend that you texted frantically the other night.”

God, the guy was such an asshole, he reminded him of Jackson sometimes. “Because I totally asked one of my friends to come all away across the country just to go on a fake date with me.” Jake still looked unimpressed so Stiles decided to pull out the big guns, “Fine. We’ll prove it.” He turned into Derek and forced him to do the same. 

_ Well, _ Stiles thought,  _ here goes nothing.  _ He leaned closer--when was he the same height as Derek?--and locked eyes with Derek before looking down at his lips. Derek had a startled look in his face and he was definitely turning red at his ears; if they were in a different situation, Stiles would’ve found the shade cute. He felt his own face burning red as Derek followed him and leaned closer in. He felt Derek’s breath on his mouth and his eyes fluttered closed. Holy shit. He was going to kiss Derek Hale. 

“Fine!” Jake interrupted before their lips could brush and Derek jerked away, leaving behind a cold rush of air on Sties face. “Enjoy your date or whatever.” He stomped away. 

“Sorry,” Marley apologized, “He’s just grumpy. I should probably go after him, have a fun night!” She grinned and hugged Stiles quickly before running after her friend. She turned around for a split second while running and gave Stiles a quick thumbs up before disappearing into a crowd. 

There was an awkward silence that hung over the remaining two. Stiles risked a glance at Derek and saw that the werewolf was staring daggers into the ground. Obviously he was pissed that Stiles had tried kissing him without discussing first. Stiles rubbed the back of his neck. There was a brief second where he sort of  _ wanted _ to kiss Derek and that was bad. Stiles shook his head slightly and tried erasing the image of Derek kissing him out of his mind. He only wanted it because Derek was Werewolf McHotpants and he hadn’t been kissed in a while. Yeah, that was definitely the only reason he convinced himself. 

“I.. uh, sorry?” Stiles cleared his throat awkwardly. 

Derek looked up from the ground and gave him a constipated look, “It’s fine.” 

“We just didn’t discuss it and I didn’t know if I was overstepping a boundary.” 

“Stiles, really, it’s fine.” 

“Are you sure? Dude, I totally understand that if you want to call this quits or anything.”

“Stiles.” Derek’s tone distracted him from his ramblings. 

“Yeah?” 

“Shut up and get on the Ferris Wheel with me.” 

Stiles stared at Derek with his mouth slightly open. “Yeah, yeah. Definitely. Okay.”


	2. October

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek needs a favor and he realizes that he might have a problem related to the one and only Stiles.

It had been two weeks since Derek had gotten back from DC and he couldn’t stop replaying the evening with Stiles in his mind. His initial response was going to be no when the spastic human had called him in the middle night freaking out, but he had changed it when he heard how desperate Stiles had sounded. So, he went and now he couldn’t stop thinking about how great Stiles had looked. The human most definitely was not a teenager anymore and it showed. Stiles had grown out his hair where it brushed against his ears and the back of his neck and it looked  _ good _ . He was also now the same height of Derek which threw the werewolf off; he was so used to looking down at Stiles and now they were eye to eye. He’s even pretty sure that hidden under Stiles’ plaid shirt were some nicely toned arms.

The only thing about that night that he was disappointed about was that he couldn’t stay longer. After he and Stiles had ridden the ferris wheel and decided to eat a late dinner of amazing fried food, Derek had to leave so he could be back in time for work the next day. At least he was able to sleep on the plane. He glanced at his phone. He had been avoiding a certain conversation for nearly a week and now he decided it was now or never.

**(3:02 p.m.) Hey, Stiles.**

_ (3:03 p.m.) Derek! I was just thinking about you! _

**(3:03 p.m.) You were?**

_ (3:04 p.m.) Yeah I was just about to text you to say I was planning our fake break up.  _

**(3:06 p.m.) Oh.**

_ (3:06 p.m.) Yeah. It’s been a few weeks and Jake has definitely backed off.  _

_ (3:06 p.m.) Did you need something or did you just wanna chat?  _

**(3:06 p.m.) Nevermind, I’ll figure something else out.**

_ (3:07 p.m.) No!  _

_ (3:07 p.m.) Now you have to tell me.  _

_ (3:07 p.m.) Deeereeeeekkkk you can’t text me and then not tell me why.  _

_ (3:07 p.m.) It’s rude texting etiquette.  _

**(3:09 p.m.) Fine. I need a favor.**

**(3:21 p.m.) It shows you saw the message, Stiles.**

**(3:30 p.m.) Now who has rude texting etiquette.**

**(3:48 p.m.) Are you seriously leaving me on read?**

**(4:02 p.m.) Just forget it.**

_ (4:18 p.m.) Dude! I am so sorry. I had an evening class and it ran late! What do you need? Advice? Research? I’m your guy.  _

**(4:20 p.m.) I forgot about the time difference.**

_ (4:20 p.m.) Hey isn’t it 4:20 there? I’d tell you to blaze it but weed doesn’t work on wolves, right?  _

**(4:21 p.m.) I hate you.**

_ (4:28 p.m.) No you don’t dude.  _

_ (4:28 p.m.) What did you need?  _

**(4:31 p.m.) My cousin's wedding is in two weeks… and she asked me to bring a date.**

_ (4:33 p.m.) Are you asking the innocent Sheriff’s son to lie on your behalf so you can have a fake date to her wedding? _

**(4:33 p.m.) Oh sorry. I must have the wrong number. The Sheriff’s son that I know isn’t innocent.**

_ (4:34 p.m.) Ha. The wolf’s got jokes tonight.  _

**_(4:38 p.m.) Excuse you. I always have jokes._ **

_ (4:41 p.m.) Sure, Jan.  _

**(4:42 p.m.) Did you really just reference The Brady Bunch?**

_ (4:42 p.m.) Figured I’d made you feel more comfortable with jokes from your era.  _

**_(4:43 p.m.) I’m six years older than you._ **

_ (4:44 p.m.) You recognized it though, right? That makes you old.  _

Derek couldn’t help himself from shaking his head fondly at his phone. Stiles was an absolute drama queen. He started typing back a teasing response before catching eye of the wedding invitation on his coffee table. 

**(4:47 p.m.) We’re getting off track. My cousin’s wedding, remember?**

_ (4:48 p.m.) Do I have to wear a tie?  _

**(4:48 p.m.) I don’t know. Maybe? At least a dress shirt and nice pants.**

Derek waited for a response for nearly ten minutes before he sighed and put his phone down. He wasn’t used to texting someone so much and he had to admit it was kind of nice. Stiles was surprisingly easy to text. He was even easier to talk to which is something that Derek had learned while in DC. He had gone in expecting awkward silences where the human just rambled, but they actually had a nice flow of conversation the whole night. Then there was the whole debacle of Stiles almost kissing him which caused Derek’s heart to pound so loud that he was sure everyone in a six feet radius could hear. He was thankful that Stiles’ friend had interrupted before anything had happened, he frankly didn’t know what he would do if Stiles Stilinski actually kissed him. 

It was bad luck on Derek’s end. He hadn’t planned on actually being attracted to the lanky human, but somehow he was cursed from the moment he saw the human walking over to him in a tight plaid shirt and a hat. Derek’s initial reaction was to rip the hat off and run his hands through Stiles’ new longer hair while kissing the hell out of him, but he had resisted the urge. He honestly had to resist the urge all night which got harder and harder the longer Stiles had held his hand or stood near him. 

Derek’s phone began to vibrate and he picked it up to see who was calling. He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts before answering it. “Stiles.” 

“Hey, I had a few questions and it’s easier to call.” Stiles’ voice echoed through his speaker and Derek couldn’t help the small smile that stretched across his face.

“Ask away.” He relaxed against the back of his couch.

“Okay! So, big question out of the way first, and I’m sorry if I’m going to upset you with this but I’m assuming that this is your dad’s side of the family?”

Derek tried not tense up and he fiddled with a loose string on his shirt, “Yeah. The only cousin on my mom’s side is Malia.” 

“I thought so.” Stiles obviously was trying for a brighter tone. “So, are they weres?” 

“No. No, they’re human. My dad was human.” 

“Oh, I didn’t know that. That’s actually pretty cool.” 

Not that many people knew that about his dad. When his mom and dad had gotten married, Michael had taken the last name Hale to honor the long line of Hale werewolves. It was funny though because despite his dad being human, Derek was far more terrified of him than his mom when growing up. In some ways, Stiles reminded Derek of his dad; they both were the only humans in a pack, they both held their own, and they both weren’t afraid of running head first into danger. 

After the fire, his dad’s family tried taking in Derek and Laura, but it didn’t quite work. There was a whole struggle with Laura adapting to her new Alpha powers while in a household that knew nothing of the supernatural. It lasted only a few weeks before Laura declared that her and Derek were moving to New York. Their relatives had put up quite a fight but Laura was stubborn and eventually her and Derek moved. 

“Yeah, they aren’t even aware that I’m a werewolf.” 

“Seriously!? That’s hard to imagine, you’re since you’re like Captain Werewolf.” Stiles joked. 

Derek rolled his eyes, “Ha ha.” He laughed sarcastically, “Was that your only question?”

“Oh! No, wait. One sec--” There was a sound of shuffling and Stiles’ voice sounded farther away from the phone, “Hi, can I have a number three. Large. With curly fries and a Mountain Dew? Thank you!” The shuffling happened and Stiles was suddenly louder, “‘Okay, I’m back.”

Derek checked the time and added three hours, “Did you really just order a Mountain Dew at nine at night? Are you planning on sleeping?” 

He could hear Stiles paying and receiving his order before he got a response, “Aw, Der. You sound worried for me.”

“No.”  _ Yes _ . “I just don’t want another phone call at one in the morning again.”

Stiles slurped his drink, “Uh huh. So, where is this wedding at?”

Derek told him. 

“Texas!? Your family is from Texas!? Holy shit! Is someone going to wear a cowboy hat? Are  _ you _ going to wear a cowboy hat?” 

What was with Stiles and hats? First that ridiculous beanie and now he was talking about cowboy hats. “Are you done yet?” 

“Nope. Yee-haw! I’m going to be on this kick until the wedding!” 

Derek couldn’t help but smile at Stiles’ antics. “Does that mean you’ll go?”

The idiot now decided to put on an accent, “Of course I’ll go, partner. But I’m afraid that this lowly farmer ain’t got enough moolah to fly. I guess I’ll just have to settle going by horse.” 

“Stiles. I’ve got money, courtesy of Uncle Peter. Don’t worry about it.”

There was some more rustling and then a slamming of a door. “Well, I can’t refuse such a generous offer from such a fine gentleman caller.” Stiles drawled. 

“I hate you.” 

“You already said so earlier.”

  
  


Two weeks later, Derek was standing in the airport holding a sign with the words “Dumb Ass” written on it. He got a few looks from passing families and what looked to be a youth group, but he didn't care. He wasn't looking for their approval. He was looking for the idiot who decided to send him cowboy memes every night for the past two weeks. At first, Derek found a few of them funny and even tried sending some back which was a huge mistake because apparently it gave Stiles permission to flood him with awful pictures. Derek had turned his phone off that night and since then, Stiles only stuck to sending one or two. 

Derek heard him before seeing him; his heartbeat was a dead giveaway. Sure enough, ten seconds after hearing him, Stiles came into fear with an expression on his face that was a mix between trying to look pissed but also amused. Derek breathed a sigh of relief, thank god the dork wasn’t wearing the cowboy hat he had threatened to over the phone yesterday. Stiles’ face finally settled on an attractive smirk--no. He wasn’t going to spend this whole trip drooling over the young adult. Derek felt his ears start to turn pink and he tried squashing down the butterflies in his stomach.

Stiles finally reached him, “Are you looking for a dumb ass? Or are you holding the sign to let passerbys know that you are a dumb ass?” 

Derek gave him a look and Stiles’ smirk turned into a cheeky smile. 

“Sorry, you probably don’t recognize me. I probably should’ve started with ‘howdy’!” 

He groaned, “I’m going to kill you.” 

Stiles awkwardly punched him in the shoulder, “Get in line, buddy.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’ve been on the line since you trespassed on my property.” He started leading Stiles out of the airport. 

“Murderous at first sight. How romantic!” Stiles fake swooned. 

Derek quickened his pace in the hopes of already losing Stiles. The human seemed more annoying than usual; not that Derek minded, but he still had a gruff image to uphold. He heard Stiles trying to keep up with him and he suddenly felt a hand grab his and he looked over his shoulder to see Stiles stepping even closer. 

“Just so I don’t lose you.” He said with his face turning slightly pink.

“Good idea.” Derek mumbled and pulled Stiles along, trying to ignore how well Stiles’ hand fit in his. 

Stiles pulled himself closer, “So, what’s the plan here? Am I playing douchey, charming, or troubling?” 

Derek choked down a bark of laughter, “Oh, you have different roles now?” 

“Maybe!” Stiles caught up with Derek’s pace, “I just want a game plan so what happened last time doesn’t happen again.”

“Last time?” 

“Yeah, the kiss.” Stiles’ voice sounded a little strained. 

He paused in walking and looked directly at him. Derek could still feel the way his lips tingled the night Stiles almost kissed him. “Oh.” He knew that they had to talk about it, but he imagined that maybe it would’ve been in a more private setting.

Stiles seemed to read his reaction because in the next moment he was flailing his free hand, “Not that it was bad! I mean, it was my fault. We should’ve just talked about it before. Hugs? Good. Hand holding. Good. What about kissing?” 

Derek felt like his mouth was full of cotton so he nodded before clearing his throat, “Good.” He croaked. “It’s good.” Shit, now he was imagining Stiles lips on his. “If it’s something that needs to happen.”

Stiles gave him a thumbs up and started pulling him to the exit. They only separated when they managed to escape the airport and get in an Uber to the hotel. Stiles had bullied him into just reserving one room--”It’s cheaper, Derek!”--with two beds and he checked them under the name Hale. Stiles let out an ungodly moan the moment they entered the room and he flopped on the bed. Derek rolled his eyes and started to open his bag to take out his dress pants and shirt and laid them on the bed. He looked over at Stiles, who finally stopped moaning, to see that he was fully stretched out on the bed with his eyes closed. 

“I’m going to go get dressed.” He announced before grabbing his clothes and walking into the bathroom. 

“Right, that’s a thing.” He hard Stiles mumble before closing the door. 

It wasn’t like the human should be that tired, Derek thought. Stiles’ flight was around three hours--the same as his own. Knowing Stiles, he probably had stayed up the entire night trying to search for new Texan slang just to annoy Derek. It was weird sharing a room with someone; he’s pretty sure the last time he did was with Braedan and they didn’t use much of the room. It was mainly more of a quick resting place before getting back on the road. He switched his traveling clothes to his blue dress shirt and slacks. He heard some rustling out in the bedroom and figured Stiles was doing the same thing. He waited a few seconds after the rustling stopped before exiting the bathroom, only to see Stiles in nearly the same position but now in slacks and a white button up. 

He rolled his eyes at the ridiculous antics, grabbed a rolled black tie from his bag, and wrapped it around his neck. Clumsily, in the mirror, he tried looping the two pieces around each other. The pieces tangled and he loosened them and tried again. And again. And again. His fingers fumbled with the cloth and no matter what angle he came at, he ended up with a disastrous knot around his neck instead of an elegant one.

He saw Stiles’ head pop up and watch at him through the mirror and he growled in frustration, “What!?” 

Instead of cowering like Derek expected, Stiles rolled off the bed into a standing position and tilted his head with a confused look on his face. “Dude, do you not know how to tie a tie?”

He instantly bristled, “Yes!” He looked at his reflection and the horrific knot around his neck and calmed down, “Maybe not.”

“Lucky for you, this guy does!” Stiles pointed his two thumbs at himself and wiggled them. “Turn around.” 

Derek followed the instructions and suddenly there was a Stiles flooding his personal space. He took in a breath unintentionally and breathed in the scent that was purely Stiles. He smelled like fresh apples and it reminded Derek of the times he would help his mom bake and he’d be in charge of cutting the fruit. Yet, tucked under the sweet scent was the bitter bite of something that he could only describe as licorice. It was an odd scent combination, but Derek found that it worked for Stiles and he wanted to be surrounded in it; it comforted him and made him feel safe. 

Stiles unraveled the monstrosity of the knot Derek tied and leveled the two ends of the cloth around his neck. “I know a lot of different ways of tying a tie. Windsor, Half-Windsor, Nicky, even a bow-tie.” His hands started moving. “My dad doesn’t know how to tie his ties either, he always relied on my mom to do it. When she was gone, I learned how to do it, but I may have gone a little overboard.” There was a gentle pat on his chest and Derek had the imagination to think the touch lasted a little longer than it should’ve. “All done.” 

Derek looked in the mirror to see a perfect knot. Stiles continuously kept surprising him with random knowledge and skills. “Thanks.” He said softly.

“No problem!” Stiles smiled at him while tying his own tie.

The ceremony was beautiful and not held in a barn, much to Stiles’ dismay. Although, his complaining stopped when he met Derek’s Uncle Aaron who wore an actual cowboy hat. Derek wasn’t for sure if Stiles was actually excited or if he was putting on a show just to annoy him. His cousin wore a beautiful dress and her husband to be cried; it was everything you would expect from a wedding. Honestly? Derek didn’t pay attention too much, he was too distracted with the jittering leg to his right. It seemed Stiles’ inability to sit still had followed him from high school. It took Derek clutching his knee to get him to stop moving his leg up and down, he also hadn’t moved his hand when it calmed down. He figured he would leave it there just in case anybody doubted their fake relationship. 

It was nice to see his family members though and it was even better to see their reactions when he introduced Stiles as his boyfriend. When the ceremony ended and the reception began, everyone had wanted the chance to meet Stiles. He was proud of how charming Stiles was with his family, especially the elderly. Once everyone had met him, they quickly snagged a table and some food along with it. 

“I always figured your shoulders were from your  _ mom’s side _ .” Stiles commented around a mouthful of food. “But turns out it’s from your dad.”

Disgusting, Derek thought. How could he still be attractive when he chewed like a horse? “What about my shoulders?” 

Stiles took a moment to swallow his food. He shoved his straw in his mouth to take a drink and  _ holy fuck  _ Derek suddenly had to look away. Dangerous ideas of what sinful things Stiles’ mouth could do tried floating to the surface of his imagination and he quickly had to shut them down. He looked back to see that Stiles’ mouth was away from his mouth--thank god. 

“Your shoulders are… nice.” Stiles heartbeat quickened. 

Derek tilted his head, “Just nice?” He watched in amusement as the human’s face turned red. 

“Y’know.” Stiles mumbled and gestured to his own shoulders, “Yours are nice and broad.”

“Hi.” A small intruder interrupted their conversation and they both looked down to see a small child looking up at Stiles. 

Stiles breathed out a sigh of relief and waved to the little girl, “Hello.” 

“I’m Lilly. I was the flower girl.” She pointed to her flower tiara. 

Stiles laughed softly, “I see that. I’m Stiles. I’m Derek’s boyfriend.” He was good at lying because Derek didn’t even hear his heart skip a beat over those words.

Lilly finally looked at Derek as if noticing him for the first time before looking back at Stiles. “Do you know how to dance?” 

He shrugged, “Just a little bit.”

“Come dance with me.” The little girl pulled and Stiles’ hand. 

Stiles laughed, “Well, okay. But not too many dances, okay? I want to dance with Derek too.” He winked playfully at Derek before he allowed himself to be pulled to the dance floor by the six year old. 

Derek watched with a soft smile on his face as Lilly stopped and held her hands up expectantly. Stiles grinned at the small girl and lifted her. The human was absolutely great with children and it made Derek’s wolf want yip happily at the thought. He watched, amused, as Stiles put Lilly’s feet on top of his and started to sway back and forth. He looked back towards Derek and grinned at him. Derek was suddenly aware of how gorgeous Stiles was. His amber eyes reflected the fairy lights looped across the ceiling; they looked warm and welcoming and Derek realized that he never wanted to go a day without seeming them. Moles scattered along his cheeks like constellations and Derek wondered if they were just on his face or along his body as well.

“I recognize that look.” A voice brought him out of his thoughts and he turned around to see his Uncle Aaron sitting where Stiles just was.

Derek raised his eyebrows, “What look?”

Uncle Aaron laughed, “Your look. It was the look my brother would get when looking at your mom. He looked at her like they were the only two in the room.”

His whole body tensed like he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to and he nodded slowly. Derek always enjoyed hearing stories about his parents but he didn’t want to compare something as fake as his relationship with Stiles to the real love that his parents shared. His stomach churned with guilt and his heartbeat echoed in his ears.

“Don’t look so scared, kid!” Uncle Aaron slapped his arm playfully, “It’s meant to be as a compliment. You two obviously care for each other. Everyone loves him, even the kids.”

Derek looked back at Stiles, who now seemed to have an ever growing entourage of children asking to dance with him. His uncle was right, he definitely did care for Stiles, but did he care for him like how his parents card for each other? He watched as one kid tried climbing Stiles like a tree and instead of being angry like any sane person, Stiles just laughed and bent down so the kid could get on his back. He was suddenly hit with an overwhelming feeling of love towards Stiles. He was sweet and gentle yet absolutely terrifying when he needed to be. Derek found himself wanting to stand up and wrap his arms around the young adult and rub his face against his neck. Fuck. Derek couldn’t be in love with Stiles, could he? He felt himself start to panic and his cheeks go red at the realization that maybe he was.

Uncle Aaron stood up and patted his shoulder, “Don’t let him go. He seems good for you.” He smiled once more at him before leaving to go mingle with the other guests.

He watched his uncle go before returning to watching Stiles, who was now on the ground with children piled on top of him. The kids were screaming and laughing as they buried Stiles. Derek listened to see if he could hear any distress but the only sound coming from the human was muffled laughter, still, he decided to stand up and go rescue the poor man. As he neared the group, he put on his grumpiest scowl and the children gave one look at him and scattered like wild animals. The only one left was, of course, Lilly who was wrapped around Stiles neck and torso like a koala. Stiles looked up at him with pleading eyes which Derek assumed meant that he needed help. 

“Okay, okay.” Derek tapped her back lightly, “You’ve had your turn with Stiles but now it’s mine.” 

Lilly slowly released Stiles and climbed off of him with her head hung low, “Okay. Bye, Stiles.” With one last look down at him, she left and followed to where the horde of children to their next victim. 

Derek offered his hand to pull Stiles up and pulled up the younger man. Although, he overshot the distance and nearly pulled Stiles flush against him. “Thanks.” Stiles breathed, “I thought they were going to eat me alive.” 

“They’re ki--What are you doing?” Derek stiffened as he felt Stiles’ arms wrap around his neck and rest there. 

“I thought it was your turn to dance?” 

It was like sound slammed back into Derek’s senses and he was suddenly aware of the slow tempo song playing through the speakers. He glanced around to see other couples holding each other close and swaying back and forth. Slowly, aware that Stiles could jerk away at any time, he wrapped his arms around Stiles’ waist and started leaning to the beats of music. The scent of apples flooded Derek’s nose and he found himself relaxing with it around him. He looked at Stiles to see a section of his hair sticking up wildly thanks to the children and Derek, without even thinking, reached out and smoothed it down by running his hands through the hair. 

Stiles jumped slightly at the contact and Derek couldn’t help but smile at how red the young adult’s face was. The two locked eyes and the urge to kiss him never felt stronger. He suddenly felt the pull to lean in closer and he wondered if Stiles felt the same. He entertained the idea that maybe Stiles did as he noticed him lean in closer. Derek followed suit and everything else faded into the background except for amber eyes and plump lips. He felt the ghost of a breath on his lips and he closed his eyes, expecting another pair to meet his. 

Instead, Stiles jerked away as if he had been burned and Derek opened his eyes to see Lilly attached to Stiles’ leg. “My turn!” She grinned playfully. 

  
Stiles looked annoyed but he hid it carefully behind a smile. He let go of Derek and shrugged, as if saying  _ What can you do?  _ Derek could do a lot about it, but instead he gave his own fake smile and let go of Stiles. He backed away and nodded to Lilly who squealed and climbed up Stiles until she was firmly clinging to his neck and waist. Derek looked around to notice that the slow dancers had changed and the music was now something faster. He found his way back to the table and sat down to watch Stiles. The situation called for it, he convinced himself. They were slow dancing, it was almost required that a couple kiss during a slow dance; they were just following the rules they had set in place. Still, Derek couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment; he touched his lips, imagining what it would be like if they actually had kissed.


	3. November

It was supposed to be just a nice little cruise with his Jeep; he hadn’t driven her since he had left for the academy and he had missed her. Well, he missed everything about her except for the part about the constant breakdowns. Luckily, he was on a road with slow traffic when it happened and the tow truck came relatively fast, but now he was sitting in an auto repair shop understanding little to nothing about what the man in front of him was saying. Something about how badly his engine was fucked and how the guy was surprised the Jeep was even running considering the amount of duct tape holding it together. 

The repairman must have felt pity for Stiles because he started explaining what all needed to be done to his Jeep a little bit slower. Stiles knew  _ some _ things about car maintenance but whatever the man was spouting off to him sounded like a foregin language. 

“I’m sorry.” He finally admitted, “Can I call someone real quick who can handle this a lot better than I can?” God, he felt like he was in high school again. He was a fucking FBI Agent in training, he should know this stuff!

The man nodded and left to the back office to give Stiles space. He pulled out his phone and immediately pulled up his dad’s contact information before stopping. His dad was still at work and Stiles didn’t really want to bother him with something like this. Without even thinking, he switched the contact to Derek’s. He knew the werewolf had the whole week off for Thanksgiving and Stiles would be less likely to interrupt something important. He pushed call. 

The phone rang twice before Derek answered, “Hey, Stiles.” 

“Heeeeeeeey, Derek.” Stiles smiled despite the fact Derek couldn’t see him.

“What is it this time?”

Stiles scrunched his face, “What makes you think I need something?”

“Stiles, that is the exact tone you used when you asked me to go on a fake date with you. Wait, is Jake bothering you again?” 

“No. Roscoe broke down and the repair guy is talking circles around me. I’m just a simple guy with a roll of duct tape trying to ask a guy, who loves cars, to come down here and help.”

There was a sigh and Derek asked where Stiles was before agreeing to come help. It only took him ten minutes before he showed up and Stiles was so thankful. By then, the repair man had returned and started chatting with Derek instead. Stiles tried following the conversation, really, he did, but he stopped trying so hard when he realized that they had moved on from talking about Stiles’ jeep. Eventually, Derek turned to Stiles and explained that the front axle needed fixed and that the fuel injectors were clogged. 

Stiles ran a hand through his hair, “How much is it going to cost?” 

The repairman looked at him, “You’re probably looking at around four to six hundred.”

There went the great Christmas gifts he was planning to get everybody. He sighed, maybe he would just be able to make people gifts this year as opposed to buying them. “Yeah, that works. Can we do it by payment?” 

The repairman nodded and set up a few documents that Stiles had to sign which felt more official than actually enrolling in the FBI Academy. When it was all said and done, Stiles left the shop with Derek following him. 

“Thanks, I was going to call my dad but I didn't want him to bother him at work.” 

Derek shrugged, “No problem. I was off anyway.”

Stiles sighed and shoved his hands in his hoodie. “This sucks.” He was home for an entire week and now he had no Jeep to help him get around. Hell, driving the Jeep again was one of the things he was most excited about besides seeing his dad, of course.

“Why not just get a new car? It might be cheaper in the long run.” Derek leaned against his own parked car. 

“Get a new car?” Stiles leveled him with a look, “I will never abandon my Jeep. I love her more than anything else.” 

Derek quirked an eyebrow, “More than lacrosse?” 

“Way more.” It wasn’t even a competition. 

Derek looked up towards the clouds, “More than curly fries?”

Stiles took a moment, “Yes.” 

“More than your Dad?” 

“No, that’s a completely different sentiment!” 

“I don’t know,” Derek twirled his keys, “You said more than anything else.” 

Stiles leaned against the car beside him and fiddled with the drawstrings on his hoodie. “It was my mom’s.” Derek was silent but he leaned over so that their arms were touching in a comforting manner. “She loved it so much and I need to keep it running, y’know?” 

The stupid Jeep had always been in his life; he didn’t remember a time without it. He remembered summer drives with his parents in the front and him in the back when he was young. It was his safe spot when he was younger and now that he was older, he felt even more of an attachment to the beaten up car. It had gotten him and the Pack out of so many different situations; they’d all be lost without it. If he no longer had the Jeep… well, he wouldn’t feel like Stiles anymore. 

Derek let Stiles sit in the silence for a few more moments before he shifted and stood up fully. Stiles missed the weight of his arm against his. “Well, she’ll be fixed in a day or two so don’t even worry. But for right now, do you need a ride home?”

Stiles couldn’t help but smile slightly at Derek. The guy was obviously trying to find a way to cheer him up. He looked at the Camaro, “Only if I drive.”

The werewolf rolled his eyes and brushed past him. “Have fun walking.” He opened up the car door and slipped in. 

“Wait, no fair! Derek!” Stiles shouted and tried rushing to the passenger side before tripping and falling. He stood up quickly and opened the door. Inside, he found Derek laughing and he took a moment to stop and stare. Sure, Stiles was used to seeing Derek smile every now and then, and even a few chuckles would escape, but never had he seen the man laughing so hard that tears were forming out of the corners of his eyes. Stiles felt his cheeks redden and he realized that he always wanted to see Derek look this happy and carefree. 

“Get in before you fall and actually hurt yourself.” Derek said between breaths of air. 

Stiles couldn’t help but smile back, “Just take me home.” The werewolf turned on the main road and Stiles stared out the window, an idea suddenly popping into his head. He looked over to the driver and squirmed a little in his seat. “Hey, so what are you doing tomorrow?” 

Derek shifted in his seat and he glanced in the rearview mirror before changing lanes, “Tomorrow as in?” 

“Tomorrow as Thanksgiving, dumbass.”

Derek shot him an unamused glance and Stiles couldn’t help but smirk back at him, “I don’t know. Probably read a book. Get some takeout and then probably watch the game.” 

Stiles stared at Derek, “Dude. That is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard. You order take out? On Thanksgiving! As an American, it’s your God given right to eat far too much.”

Derek shrugged and kept his eyes on the road, “I’ve never been much for celebrating Thanksgiving.” 

“Well, too bad. You’re coming over tomorrow.” 

“What?” 

Stiles spread out his arms as far as they could go in the sports car, “You’re cordially invited to a Stilinski Thanksgiving! Congratulations! It’s an honor to be invited, honestly. I had to be born into the family just to get an invitation.” 

Derek was quiet for a moment and Stiles worried that he overstepped a boundary of some sort. He remembered the following year after his mom had passed, the McCall family had extended their Thanksgiving to him and his dad. Stiles had hated every second of it; nothing had tasted right and everyone was obviously trying to ignore the Claudia-sized hole that was in the room. Maybe Derek was the same way after the fire incident; maybe the guy didn’t want to celebrate with a family that wasn’t his. 

After five deathly silent minutes, Derek finally pulled into the Stilinski driveway and parked the car so Stiles could get out. The poor guy was obviously wrestling with something mentally and Stiles felt a little guilty that he had caused it. “Hey, look. If it’s too much, forget I asked. I just figured, you keep doing me this huge favors and I wanted to pay you back? And, before you bring up the fact that the wedding made up for it, don’t. I mean, you’ve just mean really considerate and nice. Dude,you literally dropped everything to come help me and then you took me home. I just wanted… I guess to say thank you? And what better way than to invite you to Thanksgiving, where you’re required to be thankful for the good things in your life. And I’m going to stop now before I keep rambling and annoy the shit out of you so, uh, thanks for the ride home and for everything else.”  _ Damn it! Shut up, Stiles! _ He clenched his teeth so he wouldn’t run his mouth anymore and he unbuckled himself and opened the door. 

“What kind of side should I bring?” Derek’s voice was quiet and he was avoiding looking at Stiles. 

Stiles tried not making a big deal out of it. No, he wasn’t going to freak out and get overly excited like he would if he was still in high school. Instead he smiled softly while still exiting the vehicle, “How about sweet potato casserole?” That seemed reasonable. Besides, if Derek didn’t know how to make it, he would be able to google it and have at least thirty pages of recipes to sort through. 

Derek nodded, still avoiding Stiles. “Time?” 

“We usually eat around two, so anytime before then that works best for you.” 

All he received was a stiff nod and Stiles closed the door to the camaro and Derek drove away. He couldn’t help himself and he fist bumped the air once he knew Derek was out of sight. He grinned to himself as he let himself in his house. It wasn’t much, but at least Stiles was able to show how much he appreciated having Derek around the past few months. He never expected that the werewolf would have agreed to something as crazy as fake dating, or even having him ask Stiles on a fake date in return. It would be nice, Stiles decided, that they would be able to hang out without the stress of pretending to be in love. Well, probably more of the pretending on Derek’s end than Stiles’. 

Okay, so maybe since the whole fake dating thing started old feelings started stirring. Sue him! Better yet, take him to court and make Derek the lawyer. Stiles had seen what he looked like in a tie and  _ yes, please.  _ He realized he was screwed the moment Derek took his hand in the airport last month. It was such a simple gesture and Stiles nearly exploded when their hands touched. It was ridiculous, really, that such a little thing awoke such a need to touch Derek constantly. He may have gone a little overboard with the whole thing by taking his time tying Derek’s tie and dancing with the man. The almost kiss had snapped Stiles back into perspective but it also gave him time to admire just how fucking goregous Derek Hale was. He had looked downright fuckable with his hair slightly out of place and a pink tinge to his face and ears. Stiles wanted to scream at the little girl who took him away from what could’ve been a game changer in their fake relationship. He wondered if there was a chance that Derek liked him back too and he came to the conclusion that it was highly improbable. Why would a perfect werewolf such as Derek Hale want an annoying human such as himself? 

Even if it was through a facade, he was still happy that he was hanging out more with Derek anyway. It seemed that since college started, everyone else had their own thing. He honestly didn’t mind, but he couldn’t help but feel a little left out when Scott kept cancelling their facetime nights in order to go out with whoever it was for the week. Lydia he could at least understand, she was so busy with studying that she didn’t have time for a phone call. There was always the option of calling Malia, but things always turned slightly awkward when she started describing all the new and amazing things she was trying compared to Stiles’ dull training. It was funny; he never would’ve thought that it was going to be Derek Hale who he talked to most during his college days. 

He decided not to think about it and he flopped on the couch with a sigh. His dad would be home in a few hours and Stiles would tell him then that they would have a guest for Thanksgiving. While he waited, he queued up the Tobey Maguire Spiderman films and started them from the beginning. 

  
  


His dad got home just after he started the third film, “Hey, Pops!” He shouted, refusing to move from his comfortable spot on the couch.

“Hey, kiddo.” His dad called back. “Guess what interesting news I heard today?” 

“I dunno?” He sat up and paused the movie, “What happened?”

His dad hung up his coat and closed the door fully before walking completely into the living room, “Well, I talked to Austin today.” 

“Good?” Stiles honestly had no idea who he was talking about. 

“From Austin Motors,” His dad sat in his recliner and started unlacing his work boots. It was a routine that Stiles knew well and it brought him comfort despite the odd way his dad was acting. “Anything you want to tell me?”

It suddenly clicked, “Oh! It’s not  _ too _ interesting, honestly. Roscoe broke down and now I’m stuck paying the repairs for a little bit.” More like a long while, but his dad didn’t need to know. 

The sheriff finally pulled off his shoes and sat back against the chair. He gave Stiles a mischievous look, “Oh, nothing else interesting happened?”

Stiles glanced at him. That was weird, his dad never phrased questions like that. Well, he did when he was on the clock, but never when he was in dad-mode. “Uh… did Austin tell you something that I’m not aware of?”

The grin he received was downright mischievous--that’s who Stiles got it from--and his dad shrugged, “He mentioned an incredibly attractive man coming to help you.”

How was any of this interesting? Stiles was completely lost, “Yeah. I called Derek because I didn’t want to bother you at work. He gave me a ride home too.” 

“Derek Hale? The Derek Hale that you had a crush for a good portion of your last years in high school? The same Derek that you would rant to me about because, and I quote, ‘How can a man be that hot and stupid at the same time’?” 

Stiles winced a little at remembering how many times he ranted about Derek’s hotness to his dad. Especially if they had just finished fighting whatever big baddie monster of the week and the werewolf was panting and slightly bruised. Shit. No. He should definitely not be thinking about that right in front of his dad, otherwise they would be having an even more awkward moment. 

Although, he was still confused as to why his dad was bringing up Derek. Surely he knew that Derek was back living in Beacon Hills, right? Stiles shrugged, “Yep. That Derek Hale.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me, kiddo?” His dad was still grinning and it was starting to make Stiles feel uncomfortable. 

He shrugged again, “He just came over to help and then took me home!” 

The smile finally fell and in its place was a concerned look. The drawn eyebrows, the slightly tilted mouth. Stiles knew the signs, he had seen the same look a lot in high school. “That’s it?” 

He frowned and searched his memory, “Oh! That reminds me! I invited him over for Thanksgiving tomorrow.” His dad made a face that Stiles didn’t recognize and it looked a bit like disappointment, “Or not? I probably should’ve asked first.”

“You’ve been hanging out a lot with Derek, haven’t you?” 

“I guess? We’ve visited each other a few times. I text him a lot,” Stiles grinned at remembering the werewolf meme he had still yet to text Derek. 

His dad took a moment, and then smiled and patted his knee before standing back up, “Well, I’m happy for you, son.”

Stiles smiled back, “Thanks?” He couldn’t help but feel that he just experienced a wildly different conversation than his dad. He was obviously trying to get Stiles to tell him something, but Stiles didn’t have anything to say. Stiles shrugged to himself and went back to his movie, if it was really that important, his dad would bring it up again. 

  
  


His dad didn’t say anything else about it for the rest of the night as he and Stiles prepared the turkey and other dishes that night. There was also nothing to be said the following morning when Stiles got up around eight and greeted his dad who was already in the kitchen putting the turkey in the oven. In fact, the topic of Derek wasn’t even brought up until he came over. Stiles had expected him to show up somewhere around noon, but instead the guy showed up around ten tightly clutching his dish covered in tinfoil. Stiles almost started teasing him but stopped when he noticed how nervous he looked. 

“Is this a good time?” Derek asked and he looked down at the casserole dish, “You said whenever and I didn’t know what was too early.” 

Stiles offered a reassuring smile, “Dude, you’re totally okay. Dad and I have been up for a while now. He’s actually out getting last minute things that we forgot about.” He opened the door wider and let Derek in. 

Derek walked in and subtly looked around and Stiles suddenly realized that the only room he had ever been in was his bedroom. The stupid werewolf had only ever used the window instead of the front door; he had a strange moment of realizing that this is probably how Mrs. McCall felt during all the times he had stayed over by breaking in instead of using the door. 

“Welcome to the Stilinski Home.” Stiles held his arms out, “Uh, this is the living room, then bedrooms are that way and the bathroom.” He pointed to the directions of the rooms, “Aaaaand, if you follow me! The kitchen!” He led Derek in and opened the fridge, “We could put the casserole in here for now.” 

Derek nodded and found a space for it to fit, “Your house is a lot cleaner than your room.” 

He snorted, “You should see my dorm room.” He closed the fridge. 

“Is that an invitation?” Did Derek Hale just flirt with him? It sounded like flirting. 

Stiles shrugged, trying to still figure out the tone of the conversation, “Yeah, dude. Anytime you’re in the area you can visit.” 

Derek looked directly at Stiles' cheek with drawn in eyebrows, “What about your roommate?” 

“Oh! Yeah, so, it turns out that Scott’s dad got me a good deal when he recommended me and I have a room to myself. It’s kinda nice, honestly. It gives me some space and it’s especially nice whenever I get a call about the supernatural.” 

He nodded, “Good to know.”

What the hell did that mean? Did Derek just plan to invite himself over at any time? Holy shit. Stiles’ brain started working overtime and he looked for any type of distraction, “I was just about to put the pie crust in the oven.” He motioned to the mess of flour he left on the kitchen counter. He was good in the kitchen, okay? He just happened to make a mess while doing it. His mom used to say that it was a sign that he was enjoying what he was doing. “I’ll bake it for a few and then add the filing.” He grabbed the small dish and slid it into the oven before setting a timer. He turned back and grinned and Derek. 

“You’ve got some…” Derek didn’t finish his sentence as he elected to instead reach up and rub the Stiles’ right cheek, “There. You had some flour.” 

Stiles felt his cheeks redden out the touch and he felt the urge to touch him back. He grinned mischievously and ran a finger in the leftover flour on the counter. He quickly darted out and smeared it on Derek’s nose, “You were missing some on your face.”

Derek’s reaction nearly had Stiles in hysterical laughter; his eyes crossed as he tried to get a look at the white streak running down his nose. They uncrossed slowly and focused on Stiles and before the human could register it, Derek was touching him again, but this time he was smearing flour across his other cheek. “Oh, it’s on.” 

Stiles didn’t miss the grin across Derek’s face and this time, he opted for grabbing a small handful of flour from the bag and he rubbed it in the werewolf’s hair. Derek tried retaliating by dipping his own hand in the bag before attempting another swipe and Stiles’ face which he avoided by stepping back while laughing. A darker smile crept along Derek’s features and he grabbed more flour, yet this time, he grabbed Stiles and shoved it down his shirt. The younger man screamed while Derek’s laughter echoed throughout the house. 

“You wanna play dirty?” Stiles asked while Derek was still holding on to his shirt. “I can play dirty.” He grabbed some flour and threw it in his face. 

Suddenly, Stiles was being forced to the ground and Derek pulled his arms down before kneeling down and pinning them both to Stiles’ sides with his knees. His face leaned over him and was entirely covered in flour and the only part that wasn’t white was his poor eyebrows which were now a dusty shade of gray. “You asked for this.” Derek grabbed the bag from the counter and held it over Stiles face. 

“Nonono! Derek, wait!” Stiles tried squirming but Derek’s leg’s held him in place. “That’s the only flour we have!” He lied quickly. 

Derek paused for a moment before giving Stiles a smirk, “Werewolf, remember?” 

Well, shit. Stiles closed his eyes tight and he felt the weight of the flour hit his face and cover every possible area from his shoulders up. He felt Derek’s laughter vibrate through his own body and, if he could, Stiles would’ve loved to be able to look up and see his happiness, but the damn flour was currently keeping his eyes closed. Derek suddenly stopped laughing and there was a cold absence of where his knees were pinning Stiles down. Stiles started to sit up and ask Derek what was wrong but he heard the front door open instead. 

“I’m home!” His dad called as he walked into the house. 

Shit. Stiles quickly started wiping the flour from his face and attempted to stand up before he slipped and fell back on the floor thanks to the mess they had made. Derek offered a hand and Stiles took it with a small thanks and he finally found himself on his feet and watching as his father entered the kitchen. 

“Hey, dad.” Stiles said, letting go of Derek’s hand and giving a small wave. “How was the store?”

The sheriff just stood there staring with his face carefully blank as he looked at Stiles and then at Derek. Stiles glanced to his right to see Derek’s lips in a thin awkward smile and he could see a blush forming through the flour covering his face. He looked back at his dad and offered a small smile and shrugged, “We’ll clean it up?” 

His dad shook his head, “I leave you alone for a few minutes and I come home and it’s Christmas in the kitchen.” 

“Bet you didn’t expect it to snow on Thanksgiving, huh? And in our kitchen!” Stiles tried making light of the mess. “Crazy times we’re living in.”

“Derek?” His dad said calmly. 

Derek jumped slightly, “Yes, sir?” 

“Please knock some sense into my son.”

“With pleasure.” Was the response Stiles heard before he felt a smack on the back of his head. 

His dad laughed and Stiles relaxed, “Good. Now, go clean yourself up while Stiles cleans the kitchen.”

“Wait! No, he star--” 

“I don’t care who started it. Derek is the guest and therefore he doesn’t have to clean. Now, go get him a clean shirt before you make more of a mess.” 

Stiles looked to Derek only to see a smirk crossing his features, “You heard your dad.” 

He looked at the both of them before stomping off to his room to get an extra shirt, “I hate both of you.” He heard laughter behind him. He tried being careful to not track too much flour into his room as he searched for a shirt for Derek to wear. After finding a back-up shirt he packed in his bag, he walked back to the kitchen and offered it to the older man who in return left to the bathroom to clean up. 

His dad was checking the pie crust and Stiles began to clean up the mess, “You know I’m not mad, right?” 

Stiles stopped from where he was sweeping up the flour, “You’re not?” 

“Not in the slightest, it was just a little bit of a shock to come home to.” His dad smiled and sat down at the table. 

Stiles went back to sweeping with a smile on his face, “That’s valid.” 

Derek came out a few minutes later with most of the flour washed out of his hair and off of his face. He smiled awkwardly, “Thanks for the shirt.” He then looked at Stiles’ dad, “Sorry, Sheriff.” 

“Noah.” His dad smiled warmly, “Only guilty people call me the Sheriff when I’m off duty.” 

Derek nodded, “Noah.” He tested on his tongue. 

“Now, come sit down and chat while Stiles cleans up his mess.”

It was weird to think that the last time that Stiles had offered Derek a shirt, it was too small. Now, as Stiles cleaned the mess of flour from the floor and counters, he couldn’t help but notice how well Stiles’ shirt fit the older man. It was also nice to see Derek in a plain black t-shirt that showed how fine his arm muscles were; he should wear plain t-shirts more often. It took Stiles a little bit longer than normal to finish cleaning because he kept distracting himself by looking at Derek who was at the table talking with his dad. 

That was another weird thing to think about too. Just a few years ago, his dad was not a huge fan of Derek Hale and now here he was chatting with the guy across the table with a small smile on his face. It made him think back to their conversation last night about how his dad said that if Stiles was happy, then he was happy. Honestly, he was thankful that the two were getting along so well together; he never really saw his dad interact with any of his friends--besides Scott--outside of law enforcement or supernatural problems. Stiles looked down as he finished cleaning the last reminder of flour and he smiled, so far everything was going great. 

Things continued to go well, too. After Stiles had finished cleaning the kitchen he went and washed himself off from all of the flour only to come back to both his dad and Derek--now in the living room--discussing different baseball teams. Stiles finished his pie and a few other items before sitting down and joining them. It was surprisingly easy to have Derek be a part of their Thanksgiving, he realized. Despite a few years of spending the holiday with Melissa and Scott, it had always just been the two Stilinski men. It was nice because Stiles always knew what to expect; it had been the same routine since high school and he enjoyed it. He was worried that inviting Derek would be stressful and awkward, but that was proving to be wrong. 

Even when it came time to eat, there was no shred of the awkwardness that only briefly showed up this morning from when Derek arrived. The turkey was a little dry which his dad was annoyed at, but it wasn’t terrible. Derek’s sweet potato casserole was absolutely delicious and Stiles almost ate the entire pan himself. His pie was amazing too--even if the crust itself was lacking on the flour. It almost seemed that Derek had always been there; he adapted to the Stilinski routine so well and Stiles couldn’t help but feel warm at the thought of that. There was a small part of him that couldn’t help but fantasize that this was how every holiday should be. He had his dad and Derek with him, what could be better than that?

Instead of watching football like most people did on Thanksgiving, Stiles and his dad always picked a movie to sit down and watch together. Usually, the movie was something that the two had seen numerous times and that gave them the excuse to talk over the movie and, on occasion, make fun of it. This year was no different and Derek even seemed a bit relieved that they didn’t have to watch the football game. They even gave him the chance to pick the movie and he picked an action thriller that no one had seen. It was something along the lines of a hitman who joins the FBI after his girlfriend gets killed. Honestly, it didn’t hold Stiles’ attention, but he didn’t mind because it looked like Derek and his dad were enjoying it. 

“He kind of looked like Stiles.” His dad commented after the movie was over and the credits were rolling. 

Derek looked at Stiles closely, “A little bit. Maybe if the character smiled more or if Stiles was more emotionally damaged.” 

“Rude.” Stiles huffed, “I have enough emotional damage, thank you very much!”

Derek gave him another smirk and checked the time, “I should probably be headed home now.” He stood up from his spot on the couch next to Stiles. 

Stiles was suddenly aware that he must’ve been leaning against Derek because he had to straighten up so he wouldn’t fall over, “Are you sure, dude?” 

Derek nodded, “Yeah, it’s getting late.” 

His dad stood up from his chair as well and held out his hand, “Thanks for spending the day with us, son. You’re welcome anytime.” 

Derek clasped his hand, “Thank you for a great day.” 

Stiles stood up and walked Derek to the door. The werewolf smiled at him again and he realized that he had seen him do that a lot today. Derek had smiled more today than Stiles had seen in all of his high school years combined. Yet, despite seeing it so many times, it still seemed to strike him stupid and make him take a moment to appreciate the fact that Derek had spent the whole day with him. “Thanks.” Stiles said quietly so his dad wouldn’t hear. “For coming. For all that you’ve done.” He wasn’t going to ramble this time. “I just, I really appreciate it.” 

Derek opened the door and looked back at Stiles, “Of course. I actually had a really great time. Way better than just staying at home and reading.” 

He laughed, “I’m so glad we’re more entertaining. And you know, my dad is completely serious; I think he’d enjoy having you around.” 

Derek nodded and looked at his feet, “I’ll think about it.” 

Stiles took a breath, “I am too.” 

Derek looked up at him confused, “About?”

“Visiting. My dorm. Anytime, dude.” He wanted to add so much more. Like, how he wanted Derek to stay more tonight. Or how he would love to have Derek over in his dorm. Hell, he would love to just be around Derek constantly. 

The smile he got in return was officially Stiles’ new favorite expression on Derek. Instead of a mischievous smirk or a wide smile, this one was more private; it was just a small curve of the lips with a warm look to his eyes while the brows on top were completely relaxed. Before Stiles could stop himself, he wrapped his arms around Derek and breathed in the scent of the forest and leather. “See you soon?” 

Derek returned the hug back and took a deep breath, “See you soon.” He confirmed before pulling away and closing the door behind him. 

Stiles stood there for a second as he heard the familiar engine of the camaro roar to life and then fade away. He grinned to himself and walked back into the living room. He glanced at his dad who was headed down the hall and winked, “Another successful Stilinski Thanksgiving.” 

His dad paused to smile fondly, “I’m glad you invited Derek. I figured he would be terrified of me but he was very respectful. You’ve got a great boyfriend there, kiddo.” 

Stiles hummed his response and patted his dad on his shoulder on the way to his room. He replayed the events of the day in his mind as he made his way. It was truly a perfect day, he confirmed as he closed his bedroom door behind him. Wait. Stiles’ eyes widened and his hand found its way to his hair. What did his dad say? Suddenly, the conversation of last night made sense and Stiles couldn’t help but feel the anxiety start to wash over his body. 

“Boyfriend!?” He whispered to himself. Fuck. 


	4. December: Part One

“Derek?” Stiles’ sleepy voice came through the speaker. Of course. The one night he actually was asleep. 

“Hey, Stiles.” Derek winced at the tone of his voice. God, it sounded far too sweetened, like he wanted something. Well, he _did_ want something but he didn’t want to seem desperate for it. 

“Y’okay?” God, he sounded adorable half-asleep.

Derek took a break to focus and he looked at the building he was standing outside of, “Can you let me in?”

There was rustling and what Derek thought was laughter, “Let you in?” 

He shook some of the snow off his shoulders, “Look, I’ll explain all when you let me inside. I’m outside your building.” 

“Wait, what?” Now Stiles sounded more alert, “You’re here? Dude, lead with that next time!” There were sounds of what Derek could only assume was Stiles getting out of bed and rushing through the building. 

“I thought ‘Let me in’ was sufficient.” 

He didn’t get a response and he looked down to see that Stiles had ended the call. Derek focused on the silence now that the voice was gone and for a moment, he appreciated it. He looked to the sky and watched as a mixture of white and gray flakes fell down in a dancing pattern. He could still take a moment to appreciate the stillness that the snow brought to the world while being pissed at it. He shoved his hands in his coat pocket as he felt the cold start to seep into his bones; even werewolves got cold, despite popular belief, it just took colder temperatures than humans were used to. 

A few moments later the door to the building swung open and Stiles was standing in front of him in plaid pants and a loose t-shirt. “What the fuck, dude?”

“You told me to visit whenever.” Derek shrugged, looking sheepish, “I took you up on that offer.” 

Never had Derek seen Stiles look more like the Sheriff than in that moment. The human gave him an unimpressed look and rubbed his forehead with the side of his palm, “Just decided to show up in the middle of the night?”

He held his hands up and gestured around him, “Snow.” 

“Oh my god,” Stiles mumbled under his breath before he motioned for Derek to come in. “Yeah, I’m aware it’s snowing. Get in before you freeze your stupid werewolf ass off. It’d be a loss to humanity everywhere if you no longer had it.” 

That was the weirdest compliment he had ever heard, but whatever. Derek still took it because at least it meant that Stiles had looked at his butt before. He walked in and sighed in relief as he felt the warmer temperature surround him. It was weird to be in a campus hallway again and he looked around unimpressed. It seemed to be a universal rule that all dorm hallways had to be painted an ugly beige-brown--or at least, it was a common denominator in the schools he had visited in the past. The only difference was that whoever was in charge of the information bulletin board took their job very seriously; from where he was standing he could see the red outline of what appeared to Deadpool and a few lists under the construction paper mask. 

Stiles was already walking two feet ahead of him as he mumbled to himself. “Stupid werewolf, takes everything literally. I tell him to come over anytime and he shows up in the middle of the night because of _snow_.” 

Derek began to follow him, “The snow rescheduled my flight home.” 

Stiles turned around and gave him a tired look before turning back around, “Stupid werewolf hearing.” 

Derek stopped himself from laughing at the grumpy behavior and he continued to follow Stiles. He caught a better glimpse of the bulletin board as they walked by and he now saw that it was indeed Deadpool giving facts over STDs with tabs that you lifted up to receive information. He blinked in surprise at the detail of the entire board before following Stiles into an elevator. The younger man pushed the button for the second floor and slumped against the wall. Derek couldn’t help but feel a small amount of guilt at waking him up. 

“Hey, I can go get a hotel room if I’m being an inconvenience.” _Or go back and wait at the airport_ , Derek added in his head. 

Stiles shook his head and the elevator beeped and the doors slid open, “No, that would be a waste of money.” He moved out of the small area and waited for Derek to follow before deflating, “Sorry, dude. I pulled like two all-nighters for my finals this week and your phone call just freaked me out.”

Derek wasn’t for sure how to answer. “You didn’t sleep for two days?” 

He got a shrug and Stiles stopped at a door, “I wanted to make sure I knew everything.” He dug the keys out of his pocket--Derek recognized the small wolf on the chain--and opened the door.

“And?” Derek asked as Stiles let him in first. 

“Dunno, should learn in a few days.” 

Stiles closed the door behind him and Derek was suddenly surrounded by the human’s scent. It was _everywhere_. It was definitely stronger than his room back in Beacon Hills. Here, it was almost overwhelming that everything held the scent of apples and anise. Sure, there were a few scents here and there that he didn’t recognize but that didn’t matter. Stiles’ was the only one he cared about. He took in a large breath and relaxed in the comfort of being surrounded. 

“Sorry it’s messy. I’ve been too busy with everything else.” Stiles said as he turned a lamp on by the bed. 

Derek looked around the room and, this time, he couldn’t hold back a bark of laughter. The small room was barely large enough to contain a single sized bed against the far wall, a desk, a small dresser and closet, and a small fridge with a microwave stacked in the corner. There was another door off the left side and Derek assumed it was a bathroom of sorts. The problem with Stiles’ statement was that he didn’t see a mess anywhere. The only thing he saw that could be considered messy was an overflowing laundry bag at the end of his bed. He was instantly reminded of the black shirt he borrowed a few weeks ago that was already losing Stiles’ scent--maybe he slept with it every night under his pillow--and he wondered if Stiles would notice if he took something else. 

“It’s not messy, Stiles.” He set down his bag near the door and failed at suppressing a yawn.

Stiles ran a hand through his hair, “Right. So, you can have the bed.” He pulled out his desk chair.

Derek frowned, “And what? You’re going to sleep in a cheap wooden chair?” 

“I’ve done it before.” Stiles said, already slouching in the chair.

“Get in the bed. We can share it.” Derek huffed while taking off his coat and shoes. He didn’t need to see Stiles’ face to know it was already turning red, instead, he focused on untying his shoe and hiding his own blushing face. 

To his surprise, Stiles did put up much of a fight, “Yeah. Okay.” The two words were heavy with exhaustion and Derek watched as the human pushed himself out of the chair and stumbled to his bed. “Are you sure?” He asked, already face first into an old tattered pillow. 

Derek rolled his eyes and gave Stiles a fond look. “It was my idea, dumbass.” He decided against switching out of his jeans and headed towards the bed. 

“Rude.” Was the mumbled response. 

“Uh huh.” Derek started to climb into bed and Stiles nearly head butted him at the rate he lifted his head. 

“Wait, can you sleep against the wall?” He looked up at Derek with whiskey colored eyes. God, the human could ask Derek to murder a man and he would do so in a heartbeat because of those eyes. 

Derek rolled his eyes again, “As you wish.” He awkwardly crawled over Stiles and put his back against the wall. He pulled his arms close to his sides and watched as Stiles did the same, his back facing Derek. The bed seemed a lot bigger earlier.

He snorted, “Dude. Did you just quote _The Princess Bride_?” 

“No.” Derek lied, thankful that Stiles wasn’t facing him. 

“Liar.” Stiles called him out. 

“It was Laura’s favorite movie.” He didn’t dare say that it was actually his favorite when he was younger. 

Stiles hummed in a tone that meant he didn’t believe Derek. “Oh, I bet it was. She probably loved it so much she quoted it without realizing it.” 

Derek felt his ears redden, “Stiles?” 

“Yep?” 

“Do me a favor?” He growled, “Shut up.” 

The smirk was audible, “As you wish.” 

Stiles reached up and turned off the lamp, plunging them both into darkness. Unlike Stiles though, Derek still had excellent night vision and he stared at the human’s back, tracing the moles that he could see scattered along the back of his neck. Again, he wondered how far they traveled down his back and he almost asked for him to take off his shirt. That would be weird, right? Well, weirder than showing up in the middle of the night asking to sleep over, his sleep deprived mind supplied as his eyelids grew heavy. He focused on the warmth next to him and drifted off in the most peaceful sleep he had in awhile. 

Derek’s eyes shot open to the ungodly screeching of an alarm clock. Confusion washed over him because he definitely did not have an alarm clock, and he would most definitely never buy an alarm clock with the capability to make such an annoying sound. He tried sitting up to find where the sound was coming from but a weight around his chest made him stop. He looked down to see a familiar mop of wild brown air on top of his chest and a not-so-skinny arm wrapped around him. Even more surprising was finding out that one of his arms was also wrapped protectively around Stiles. It was… nice. Actually, it was better than nice. Derek couldn’t really remember a time where he was this comfortable with another person practically laying on top of him; the damp drool spot on his shirt was comforting. Subconsciously, he pulled Stiles a little closer and felt his body relax even more as he tried falling back asleep. 

Except, the only thing stopping him from doing so was the idiotic beeping of Stiles’ alarm clock. How did the human sleep through it? Not well, apparently, because the next thing Derek knew, Stiles was rubbing his face into Derek’s shirt and grumbling softly. Stiles obviously didn’t wake up well, Derek thought. Which was surprising considering all the late nights the human pulled during his time in high school and now during his college years. Derek felt his cheeks begin to blush as he realized that he was still holding Stiles--this time consciously--and he freaked out when the human raised his head. He quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep in hopes that Stiles hadn’t caught him staring. 

“Stupid alarm.” Stiles mumbled and Derek felt him fumble around with the clock on the nightstand and then the beeping halted. “That’s better.” He returned to his spot on Derek’s chest and nuzzled in. For a second, Derek thought that he was going to fall back asleep but then his body tensed. “Wait.” Stiles lifted himself back up, “Shit.” He pulled away and climbed off the bed and Derek missed his warmth. “It’s okay, he’s still asleep. He probably didn’t noti--oh my god. Did I drool on him!?” 

Derek lost his resolve at that point and he couldn’t hold back the laugh that bubbled through him. He opened his eyes to see Stiles with a hand in his hair and the other rubbing his mouth with an alarmed look on his face. “Yes, you did.” He rubbed the damp part on his t-shirt. 

“I’m so sorry!” Stiles blurted immediately, “I didn’t mean to even move close to you! But I guess I was cold and you were so warm. Why are werewolves so warm anyway? It’s ridiculous, honestly.” His face was bright red. 

Stiles was pretty cute when he was flustered like this. Derek fought back another round of laughter, “Stiles.” He sat up, “I didn’t mind. You were keeping me warm too.” God, Derek wanted to take a picture of the shock on Stiles’ face. 

“Oh. Yeah. Good. Great even!” He paused, “Sorry about the drool.” 

“It happens.” _It was cute_. Derek finally pulled himself out of the bed and checked the time and the damned alarm clock. “You get up at nine? What about morning classes?” 

Stiles shrugged, his face returning to his normal color. “The earliest class I had was at 9:45 this semester. I opted for later classes opposed to the early ones. I’m an asshole when tired, which you witnessed last night.” 

“Remind me never to wake you up again.” Derek joked, officially getting out of bed.

“You freaked me out,” Stiles pointed out while opening one of the drawers to his dresser. “I wasn’t expecting a call at one in the morning from someone who wanted to spend the night.”

He made way to his own bag and pulled out a clean, drool-free shirt. He figured that his jeans were clean enough to wear another day. “I wasn’t expecting it either. My plane had to make an emergency land in DC from New York thanks to a snowstorm coming in. I didn’t really want to stay in the airport that long and I remembered you saying to come by anytime I was in town. It’s hopefully rescheduled for six this evening.”

Stiles head tilted, “You were in New York?” 

“Visiting some old friends. Laura and I made friends with a few packs when we lived there after the fire. I figured I hadn’t seen them in a few years so I visited for a few days.” Derek said with a shrug. It wasn’t too interesting. He hadn’t really visited since Laura had died and it was awkward being around all their friends without her. He was thankful when his trip was over and he was able to leave. 

“Well, you’ve got some time before heading back to the airport, right?” Derek nodded and Stiles offered him a warm smile. “Great! You can go Christmas shopping with me!” 

It certainly wasn’t what Derek was expecting to do today but he figured it was better than waiting in an uncomfortable chair with gray speckled walls surrounding him, so he agreed. He didn’t really remember the last time he went Christmas shopping in person; he usually just ordered small gifts online and had them sent to a few key people. Mainly, he only ordered for his uncle, Cora, and, over the past few years, Malia. They were usually small things too such as new socks or a new journal; he was awful at buying gifts. 

Stiles excused himself to the bathroom to change his clothes and get ready for the day and Derek stayed in the main room and simply switched his shirt to a green henley. He checked his phone for any updates from the airline--there wasn’t any--and he took a moment to observe the room in the daylight. There were a few movie and music posters that he had missed seeing earlier and a random assortment of photos taped to the wall that Stiles’ desk faced. Derek moved over to get a closer look.

Scattered along the wall were pictures of the Pack growing through the years. Derek recognized some of the photos and where they were taken: most were at the school with Scott and Lydia, some were in the Preserve with Malia, and there were a few with the whole Pack wedged together on Derek’s couches in his loft. Although, there were a few he didn’t recognize. Stiles had a few photos of him and his dad hanging up along with what seemed like family photos of the McCalls and Stilinskis vacationing together. A picture closest to the corner caught his eye and leaned over the desk to get a better look. It was a picture of Derek and Stiles with the werewolf’s arm wrapped around the human while they smiled lovingly at each other. He recognized it as the night of the Oktoberfest Carnival. It was actually a really cute photo and he reached out to touch it, wondering why Stiles had it hanging up. 

“Marley took that.” Stiles' voice came from behind him and Derek jumped, not used to people sneaking up on him. “I thought it looked sweet and I don’t have that many photos of you.” He stood beside Derek looking at the picture, “We look happy in it.”

“We do.” Derek agreed. “It also probably pisses off Jake when he sees it.” 

Stiles laughed and nudged him, “Yeah, it totally pisses him off.”

Once the two left the dorm and made it outside, Derek saw the pitiful excuse of the snowstorm that canceled his flight and he was slightly annoyed. There was only about two to three inches on the ground which didn’t seem real considering how heavy the snow seemed to be falling last night. Stiles had just shrugged and mentioned something about the weather being almost as weird as Beacon Hills and that he didn’t question it so neither should Derek. They got in the car he had rented from the airport and they were off to a shopping mall near the campus. Derek brought his bag along with him, planning to head to the airport after they were finished shopping and after he dropped off Stiles so he could make it through security in time for his flight. 

Shopping with Stiles was an experience all in itself. He had expected a whirlwind of chaotic energy but, instead, Stiles had an idea of what to get everyone. It didn’t take him long to pick out gifts for mostly everyone. He got his dad a collection of novelty socks, because apparently the Sheriff wore wacky socks to work with barely anyone noticing. Lydia’s gift was a new untangling hair brush because she had a lot of breakage with her current one. Malia’s gift was a scratch poster of the world where you scratch off the places you had been. Derek was impressed with how simple yet thoughtful the gifts were. 

They took a break after finding those three gifts and had a bite to eat in the food court before continuing the search for Melissa and Scott’s gifts. They were on their way to the next destination when Stiles rubbed his arms, “God. Just because it’s winter outside doesn’t mean it has to be winter _inside_ too.” 

“This is why you wear a coat.” Derek eyed the plaid shirt. 

“I figured that I was going to be warm in the car and in the mall, I didn’t need a coat for the ten seconds I was outside!”

Before Derek knew what he was doing, he was taking off his leather jacket and handing it to Stiles. “Here.” 

“Wait, seriously?” Stiles looked at him while still rubbing up and down his arms.

“Stupid werewolf heat, remember?” 

Stiles flushed at the comment but passed his bags of gifts to Derek before sliding the coat on and sighing at the warmth. He took the bags back and mumbled a quick thank you before moving on. 

Derek held back for a second, watching how great Stiles looked in his jacket. The younger man definitely had filled out a lot in just a year for him to even fit in it. Derek could’ve sworn that just two years ago, Stiles would’ve been smothered in the material. Now, he looked downright fuckable in a leather jacket and longer hair. He took another moment to appreciate just how hot Stiles looked before following him into a small department store. He never knew how much he had wanted to see Stiles in his clothes before now. He thought to the future when he would get the jacket back and how much it would smell like the human and he smiled. The only thing that could make the moment better was if he were able to reach out and lace Stiles fingers with his like he had done in Texas. 

“So,” Stiles’ tone was higher than normal and he drew out the vowel when he stopped at a display of watches. “Dad and I were wondering if you wanted to join us for Christmas.” 

Derek suddenly felt the same uncomfortable feeling that he had when he was invited to Thanksgiving. His first reaction was to decline and to state that he wasn’t a charity case just because he didn’t have an immediate family to spend the day with. His second reaction was to run away physically and mentally from the question. His third reaction was the one he went with last month; weigh the pros and cons and come to a logical answer. The logical answer for Thanksgiving was that he wasn’t doing anything special and he knew he would’ve felt guilty if he hadn't gone, so he agreed. This time, however, was a little different considering the weight that the date of December 25 held. He could say, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was his least favorite holiday and he didn’t want to put Stiles and his dad through the pisspoor mood he was going to be in all day.

He looked down at the display in front of him. “Why?”

Stiles gave him a confused look, “Because we both liked having you over for Thanksgiving. It was my Dad’s idea this time.”

He met Stiles’ gaze. Did they know? “It was his idea?” 

“Yeah, we were talking the other night and he brought you up; told me to invite you and all that fun stuff.”

“No, there’s something you’re not telling me.” Derek heard the skip in the human’s heartbeat. It was slight, but still there. If he hadn’t known any better, Derek would’ve shrugged it off as nothing, but he knew Stiles. He also knew that Stiles was an incredible liar, a skill he seemed to hone so he could even lie around werewolves too. 

Stiles glanced down and fiddled when the zipper of the jacket, “It’s not important.” 

There was the skip again. “Stiles,” He warned. 

“Fine. My dad thinks we’re dating.” 

Derek felt the surprise course through his body. Pieces fit together like a puzzle and he suddenly understood why Noah had been so awkwardly nice to him during Thanksgiving. The man had even invited Derek over a few times afterwards without Stiles even there; usually they went for lunch, but now this changed everything. It all made sense now; he was thinking he was getting to know his son’s boyfriend. Even so, he was even more surprised that it meant that the Sheriff _liked_ Derek enough to let him date his son. Derek took a breath and let it out shakily, “Oh.”

“Yeaaaah.” Stiles rubbed the back of his head.

“But you told him otherwise, right?” He felt anxiety start forming in his stomach. 

“I was going to tell him that we weren’t but he seemed so happy and he kept going on and on about how much he liked you for _days_. Legit, it sounded like he wanted to date you.” Stiles sighed, “I just couldn’t tell him the truth.” 

“So, when were you going to tell me?” 

Derek watched Stiles wince, “That, uh, well, that depended on what you were going to say about celebrating Christmas with us.”

“So you would’ve told me if I said yes and said nothing if I didn’t go?” Derek asked slowly.

The human deflated, “I didn’t want to put more stress on you.”

“Stiles.” Derek smelled more anxiety than usual off him.

“And I thought that if you knew, you would feel pressure to hang out with me.” The words tumbled out him like a river. “And I don’t want that. I like this.” He motioned between them. “It’s nice.” 

There was a lot of weight behind what Stiles said and Derek agreed. He liked hanging out with Stiles. It was easy and relaxing. He didn’t have to worry about what he said or how he acted around him. It was an odd feeling considering that all his other adult relationships required something out of him. Jennifer wanted him to get closer to Scott’s pack and as a coverup. Kate wanted him for a power move and his family. Stiles wanted him. Just _Derek_. It was a nice change and he didn’t want to let go of it. He didn’t care if it ended up just being a platonic relationship either; he would still have Stiles and that was good enough for him. 

He had gotten used to the stupid memes sent every night on his phone. The occasional ranting phone texts or calls about whatever set him off for the week. The radiant smile whenever Derek casually joked around with him. Stiles’ heartbeat was something that he now searched for out of comfort whenever he knew the human was around. His wolf felt more balanced with it and he felt lonelier than before when it was gone. Derek could see where Stiles was coming from in not wanting to tell him about what his dad believed; if the positions were reversed, he probably would’ve done the same thing. 

“Stiles,” he said in a softer tone than before. “I’m not mad. I enjoy hanging out with you too. It just caught me by surprise.” 

Stiles ran a hand through his hair, “I should’ve told you in the first place.”

Derek nodded, “I probably would’ve done the same thing though.” 

He looked up and met Derek’s gaze, “So, will you come?” 

“I can’t.” Derek said probably a bit too firmly.

Stiles nodded, “Yeah, okay.”

There was an awkward blanket of air hovering between the two of them. “Why are we looking at watches? Scott doesn’t even wear a watch.” Derek broke the awkward tension by changing the conversation completely.

Stiles shook his head, looking grateful to talk about something else. “It’s for Scott’s mom. I noticed the last time I was home that her watch was losing time so I figured it’s _time_ for a new one.” He snorted at his joke. 

Derek remained deadpanned, “That was an awful pun.” 

“Oh, you love me!” Stiles' hip bumped him while grabbing a watch. He had no idea how true his words were. 

“It’s a good gift though.” Derek admitted while they made their way to another section of the store. 

Stiles smiled at him, “Thanks! Just wait until you see your gift!”

“You got me a Christmas gift?” Derek instantly felt guilty for not getting him anything. 

“Maybe.” Stiles sang as they reached the music section and grabbed a nice pack of guitar picks for what Derek assumed was for Scott. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see, huh?”

He frowned, “You didn’t have to.” He instantly tried thinking of a gift to get Stiles. Christmas was only a few weeks away, but he was sure he could rush the delivery process. 

“Derek. I don’t have to do anything. I wanted to!” Stiles patted Derek’s shoulder. “I’ve actually had it for awhile. That’s why it took awhile to open the door for you last night; I was trying to find a place to hide it.”

Derek was oddly touched by the sentiment. Besides his family, he never had somebody willing to give him gifts. Sure, he had friends from school growing up, but that was still different than being an adult and getting a gift from somebody who wants to surprise you. He smiled, “Thank you.” He said and he meant it. Stiles kept doing small things that surprised him and Derek never wanted him to stop. 

Stiles nodded and together they purchased his items and then left the mall. He checked before getting in the car to take Stiles home; he had about two and a half hours. Derek drove back to the campus while listening to whatever odd music that Stiles was showing him, Derek checked the time to see that he had two hours until his flight. Honestly, he was a little sad that he wasn’t going to go back up Stiles’ dorm. Part of him wanted to go back because he wanted to go and look for his gift and the other part just wanted to be surrounded by everything Stiles again. He sighed and glanced at his passenger. Stiles gave him a knowing look and smiled but Derek now could recognize what smiles were fake and what were real given the amount of time he had spent with the younger man. It was obvious Stiles was sad about something too but he didn’t want to affect the great day that they had together. 

“I could ride with you to the airport?” Stiles offered. 

“And how would you get back?” Derek asked as he parked in the visitor parking. 

The answer was immediate, as if Stiles had already figured it out. “Lyft.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll text you when I board and when I land.” Stiles looked like he wanted to argue about it and Derek cut him off. “Thank you for letting me spend the night.” 

The human shrugged, “Thanks for letting me drool on you.” 

Derek patted Stiles knee lightly, “Anytime.” He suddenly froze and realized that that wasn’t an exactly platonic thing to do. He glanced to Stiles to see that he hadn’t even really noticed and he was smirking. 

“I might take you up on that, Derek.” He opened the car door. “See you in a few weeks?” 

Derek nodded, “I’ll see you then.” 

Stiles smirked, “Have fun thinking what your gift is!” He winked before closing the door. He gave one last wave before disappearing around a corner towards his dorm. 

The car ride back to the airport was boring considering the day he spent with the chatterbox. Despite the silence though, he did have a smile on his face. In fact, he was in a surprisingly pleasant mood as he turned the car in, went through security, and as he boarded the plane. He even smiled at a few strangers which was, what Stiles would say, scandalous. He chuckled to himself thinking about the day's events as he sat down in his seat. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick to Stiles before turning it off. It didn’t occur to him until well over half the flight that he left his leather jacket with Stiles.


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles wasn’t for sure why, but he felt a little nervous returning to Beacon Hills for the holiday. Maybe it was the fact that everyone else had come home a few days earlier, meaning he was the last to arrive. Lydia and Scott apparently got home around the same time two days ago. Malia had already been visiting a week. Kira was still off doing whatever it was to hone her powers--honestly, Stiles wasn’t for sure exactly what she was doing. He missed her nonetheless. As for the younger members of the Pack, their Christmas break had started at the beginning of the week. It wasn’t exactly Stiles fault for coming home three days before Christmas, he had planned on coming home earlier but the supernatural-like weather of DC made him stay on campus for a little longer than he had intended.

Nevertheless, he was glad to be home. It was nice to wake up in the morning in his own bed and to the chattering radio as his dad got around for the day. He had gotten home yesterday pretty late and Scott had invited him to a Pack night that included everyone--even the high schoolers--but he had declined in the favor of sleep. Besides, they had made plans to celebrate tonight--Christmas Eve--with the older members only. He loved the younger kids, he just sometimes wanted to hang out more with people his own age. He also just didn’t want to deal with the on and off relationships that the high schoolers always seemed to be going through; he could only handle that with Scott. 

His dad was a little disappointed when Stiles told him that Derek wouldn’t join them for Christmas, but he said he also understood. It was also a perfect opportunity for Stiles to tell his dad he wasn’t dating Derek, but instead of doing that, he had changed the subject instead. It would be rude to break the truth so close to a holiday; he would tell the truth after New Years. Start the year fresh and truthful. 

Now, he was driving the familiar road to Derek’s loft in his trusty jeep which was running pretty well thanks to her repairs. Well, besides the fact the heater barely worked, Stiles was trying to ignore that so he didn’t have two car repair bills on top of each other. It was surprisingly cold considering the California weather and Stiles nuzzled further into Derek’s leather jacket. He had only had it for a few weeks, but he understood why Derek always seemed to wear it. It was comfortable, warm, and honestly? He thought he looked pretty hot in it. He was a little sad that he had to give it back. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t thought about “forgetting” back in DC just so he could have a longer time with it. It also would have given more initiative for Derek to visit again. But, no. Stiles decided to be a good person and bring it back.

Stiles pulled into the parking lot almost out of muscle memory and parked by the familiar green motorcycle. The owner of the motorcycle took off his helmet and smiled his crooked smile as Stiles exited the jeep. He gave his own wide smile back and threw his arms around him. 

Scott hugged enthusiastically back, “I missed you! Why did we agree to go to separate colleges again?” 

“Because we would get kicked out of college if we had the same classes together.” Stiles laughed and pulled away from his best friend, “I missed you too.” 

Scott still had a wide smile, “Man, it feels like high school again. Coming over to Derek’s, only this time, he actually invited us.”

“And nothing is trying to kill us.” Stiles commented as he pulled a bag full of presents from his passenger seat. 

“Yet.” Scott warned.

He laughed again, “Oh god. Knock on wood.” It was nice being around Scott; it was like no time had passed between them. 

They both walked into the building together while catching each other up on the small tidbits that never made it into their phone conversations. Scott apparently was swearing off of girls for a bit and focusing on his school work--Stiles would believe it when he saw it. The alpha was now working towards the next step in his veterinary degree and the classes were increasing in difficulty. Stiles mentioned a few things about his own workload, but he mainly let Scott talk. 

“So, what’s up with you and Derek?” Scott asked as they made their way up the stairs since the elevator was broken.

Stiles laughed, feeling anxiety start to swell in his chest. “What do you mean?”

“You smell like him. He smells like you. Also, I’m pretty sure you’re wearing his jacket.” Scott slowed his pace and stopped on a step and looked down to Stiles who was still catching up.

Stiles looked up at him, “Yeah, we hung out a few weeks ago and he forgot it. I wanted to make sure he got it back.” Did Stiles wear it everywhere? Yes. Was he going to tell Scott that? No. 

“So, wearing it was the only option?” Scott had the same tone that his dad had at Thanksgiving.

“I would’ve forgotten it otherwise.” Stiles said with a small shrug. 

“You’ve been hanging out with him a lot.”

Stiles caught up to Scott and stayed a few steps below him, “Yeah. We’ve visited each other a few times. We even went to a wedding. Did you know he has family in Texas? The guy is basically part cowboy and part werewolf.” 

“So, you’re dating.”

_ God, I wish _ . Stiles wanted nothing more than to press his lips against the werewolf’s. He was even starting to think that maybe Derek wanted it too. The whole leg pat incident seemed a little  _ too _ friendly and don’t get him started on the cuddling in bed thing. That wasn’t something normal friends did, right? 

“Of course they’re dating.” Lydia confidently said as she appeared behind them on the stairs. “Isn’t it obvious? Malia even mentioned something about Derek wearing one of Stiles’ shirts the other day.” It had been awhile since he had seen the strawberry blonde. He turned so see her looking as fabulous as always as she wore a light pink coat and matching hat.

Wait. No. This was getting out of hand. It was supposed to be a trick for his college friends, now it was spreading to his other friends too? Not to even mention his dad who asked about Derek on a weekly basis. Stiles needed to clear everything up so he didn’t have a repeat of telling Derek that yet another someone else--let alone two more people--thought that they were dating. He opened his mouth to protest, but Scott beat him to it. 

“Seriously? Dude! You should’ve told me!” His smile practically blinded Stiles. 

Stiles shook his head, “Guys, no. I--” 

Lydia walked up closer on the steps to the two men, “I think it’s cute. They’ve been dancing around each other for  _ ages _ .” 

“We’re no--” 

“Thank god. I honestly didn’t know if I could handle another hang out with Derek staring at your ass.” Scott nudged Stiles. 

“You guys ar--he stares at my ass?” 

“More like he stares at you like he wants to climb you like a tree, but, yes. He stares at your ass.” Lydia pushed between the two and continued her way up the stairs, “We all know that you do, too. Come on.” 

There was no disobeying the goddess of Lydia Martin and Stiles' legs moved on command following her. Was it true? Did Derek really look at him like that? Could it be possible that he felt the same way as Stiles? So many questions were milling around Stiles’ head that he didn’t even realize that he never fully told his two best friends that he wasn’t dating Derek.They reached the door to the loft in no time and walked in; Scott and Lydia first and then Stiles. 

He had been in Derek’s loft dozens of times, but it felt different now that Stiles knew that Derek had looked at his butt before. Did that mean that Derek was somehow attracted to him? Stiles shook the thought and walked in fully. It was weird being at the loft for something like a party, usually the only times the Pack had come over in high school was when something was threatening to kill them. Which, when Stiles reflected on it, happened a lot more than he realized when he was younger. He barely had a moment to set his bag down before he was tackled to the ground in a large hug. 

“Stiles!” Malia shouted once she was fully on top of him. 

He patted her back, “Crushing. Human.” 

“Oh! Right.” She eased her weight off but still leaned over him. “You grew out your hair!” She tugged at it. 

Stiles couldn’t help but laugh. God, he didn’t realize how much he had missed her either. “Hey, Malia.” 

She wrinkled her nose, “Why do you smell like Derek?” He pushed her away gently and sat up. “Is that his jacket?” 

He nodded, “Yeah, I was returning it.” 

“Why do you have his jacket?” She asked while standing up and helping him up as well. 

“I visited him a few weeks ago and forgot it there.” Derek was suddenly behind Malia and smiling at Stiles. “I’m actually surprised he remembered it.” 

It was pretty easy to remember something that you rarely took off, Stiles thought. He gave a shrug and smiled, “I put it on just so I would remember.” He met Derek’s gaze and it was crazy just how fucking gorgeous the man was. It had only been a few weeks since Stiles saw him last but somehow it seemed Derek got even more attractive.

Malia looked between the both of them a few times as the two continued to stare at each other. “Am I missing something?” 

“Huh?” Stiles pulled his eyes away from Derek and registered what she said, “Oh, no!” He slid the jacket off and handed it to the man. 

“Great!” She pulled him towards the couch, already talking a mile a minute about whatever new place she had recently visited. Derek’s eyes followed him and he looked amused. Stiles flipped him off.

There were only five people in the Loft: Derek, Scott, Lydia, Malia, and Stiles. It was a small group compared to the usual Pack meeting, but it was also relaxing. These were the people that Stiles knew the best and got along well with. Was it a little weird that he dated the two girls of the group? Not really considering that Malia was still talking his ear off and Lydia still made a point to at least call him once a month. The werecoyote described all of her new travels while still holding his arm on the couch; he had long gotten used to her need for constant touching. He heard the faint chatter of people in the kitchen and he figured that’s where everyone else was. Eventually, Malia talked herself out and she stood up, announcing she was going to go get food from the kitchen. Stiles’ stomach growled in response and he followed her. 

To his surprise, there were two large homemade pizzas sitting on the counter and now that he knew, he realized that the whole apartment smelled like a pizzeria. How had he not noticed earlier? Lydia and Scott were already chowing down on their own slices; albeit Lydia was more dainty than the alpha. Malia even had more manners than Scott as she placed her own slice on a plate. Derek was leaning against the fridge with a small smile on his face as the young adults chatted around him. 

Stiles grabbed his own paper plate, “Homemade pizza, huh?” He asked Derek as he picked up a slice and marveled at the amount of cheese. 

Derek seemed to blush at the recognition, “Wasn’t too hard.” 

“I hope no flour was harmed this time.” He grinned and leaned the counter close to the werewolf. 

Derek rolled his eyes towards him and crossed his arms, “If I remember correctly, that was your fault.” 

“Excuse me! Who held me down on the floor?” Stiles took a bite of his pizza and let out a moan, “Oh, fuck me.” The pizza was by the far the best thing he had ever tasted. He missed the way Derek’s face was bright red as he stared; all that mattered was the amazing flavors exploring his tongue. “You need to make this more often.” 

Derek cleared his throat, his face still burning red. “Uh, yeah. Maybe I will.” 

Stiles took another bite and watched as the cheese stretched and didn’t break from the main piece. He stuck out his tongue and twirled it around his tongue until it broke off. He heard a sigh and looked over to see Derek staring at him. Stiles’ face burned red, “Shit. Sorry, that was probably disgusting to watch.” 

Derek looked like he was about to say something but the sounds of giggling interrupted him instead. Oh, right. Other people were in the room besides just them. Stiles looked over and saw the other three staring at them while Scott and Lydia were trying to hide their laughter with hands over their mouths.

Derek scrunched his eyebrows at Stiles then glanced at Lydia and Scott’s giggling as if saying:  _ What’s up with them?  _

Stiles shrugged his shoulders.  _ They’re idiots. I’m surprised you expected more from them. _

The eyebrows went up and Derek rolled his eyes.  _ I shouldn’t have such high hopes. _

Stiles snorted and bumped Derek’s shoulder ever so slightly. The werewolf didn’t pull away and Stiles thought back to the conversation on the stairs. Was Derek really into him? He risked a glance out of the corner of his eye. The other man was currently watching Lydia and Scott out of amusement as they went back to teasing Malia and Stiles' heart did a little skip. 

Derek must’ve heard it because he quickly moved his head to face Stiles, “You alright?” 

Stiles nodded, trying not to blush at getting caught staring. “Uh, yeah. Just nervous about whether or not everyone will like their gifts.”

“At least you got them gifts. By the time I figured out what I should get everyone it was too late and everything would have arrived in January..”

Stiles tilted his head, “Dude. Don’t worry, we’ll just tell people that mine are from the both of us.”

“Sti--

“You were there when I got them, so it’s kinda like you got them too.” Stiles smiled widely at him, “I don’t mind.”

Derek studied his face for a moment, “Thank you.”

He offered an award winning smile and bit into his pizza. It was a good idea Derek made two because three out of the five had monstrous metabolisms and the pies were gone in no more than ten minutes. After that, the group all joined together in the living room for Christmas gifts. He noticed that Derek chose to sit by him and Stiles didn’t complain as their shoulders brushed again. He stretched out farther on the couch, using it as an excuse to accidentally touch Derek. 

The opening of gifts went surprisingly well and everyone was pleased with what they received. Scott loved his guitar picks. Malia gave him and Derek a bone crushing hug when she opened hers and Lydia nearly squealed out of excitement. Stiles was happy with what he received; A new book that he wanted from Lydia. A pair of socks with an intricate design from Malia--what could he say? He took after his Pops. Scott got him a new set of wireless headphones which he was excited to use when he had to fly back to DC. The gift he was most surprised at though was Derek’s. 

Derek handed him a perfectly wrapped box which Stiles unwrapped slowly. He hadn’t really expected anything from the werewolf after the conversation in the kitchen, but he wasn’t complaining. Inside was a yellow polaroid camera and Stiles looked up to see the werewolf looking nervous. “Dude. Seriously?” 

He nodded, “I saw all the pictures you had in your dorm and thought maybe you could add some to your collection? If you don’t like it, I c--” 

“Dude. I love this.” Without thinking, Stiles threw his arms around Derek. “Thank you!” 

Siles pulled back after a second longer than the hug should’ve been with his ears burning bright red. Thankfully, the rest of the group didn’t notice. Derek smiled at him and Stiles felt a weight form in the center of his chest.This was the part that Stiles had dreaded the entire night. He had promised a gift to Derek, he had even told him how good it was going to be! Now, the werewolf looked like he expected a gift in return. Stiles checked the time and saw that it was around an hour until midnight, he could wait that long. 

The small group hung out a little while longer after they opened gifts. Instead of dwelling on Derek’s gift, Stiles focused on setting up the camera. It wasn’t too hard, honestly. When he was done he told everyone to get close together and he snapped a photo of all of them. After a while, they all settled down to play a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity. Honestly, Stiles didn’t know why he even tried playing against Malia--no matter what, the werecoyote always seemed to win. Malia was the first to leave, claiming she was tired, but she made everyone promise to hang out one more time before they all went their separate ways again. Lydia was next as she slid her coat and hat back on before hugging everyone one last time. 

“Alright! See you later!” Scott plopped down on the chair. 

“You know, we all should probably leave. Derek’s probably tired.” Lydia’s voice sounded stilted and she pulled Scott up again. 

He looked confused and then looked at the two men on the couch, “Oh! Oh, yeah. Have a goodnight, man!” He winked at Stiles, “Merry Christmas.”

Stiles watched the rest of the Pack leave, his body suddenly buzzing with adrenaline. It was now or never. He took a shaky breath and looked at Derek who was now standing and cleaning off the coffee table. Stiles took this moment as the last calm moment that he possibly ever was going to have with Derek before he ruined it all. Derek met his gaze and offered a small smile and warmth filled in Stiles chest and spread through his body, taming his burning nerves. 

“That went later than I expected.” Derek commented after finishing trash and putting it in the trash can. 

Stiles glanced at the time on his phone, “Oh shit.” It was well past midnight, which was perfect timing. “Time flies when you’re having fun?” 

Derek gave him an uncharastically anxious look, “Yeah.” 

“Hey, so.” He needed to just get it over with. “I have your gift.” He reached into the sack and pulled out the wrapped box. Honestly, it was the best wrapped one; he spent ten minutes trying to make the lines line up and everything. He even put a bow on it! 

Derek took it gently out of Stiles’s hands like it was going to break, “Thank you.” 

Stiles nodded, trying to stop his impulse to ramble. “I.. I needed to wait. That’s why I didn’t give it to you earlier. I knew you were probably thinking about it.” 

The anxious look in Derek’s eyes faded a bit, “Just a little bit. You promised me a good Christmas gift and I don’t do well with surprises.” 

“It’s not a Christmas gift.” Stiles blurted, not able to hold it in anymore. 

Derek sat down beside him, “It’s not?”

Stiles shifted so he was perched on the couch’s edge just in case he needed to make a mad dash towards the door. He wasn’t for sure how Derek was going to react and he needed to be prepared for all scenarios. He double checked the time just to make sure it was definitely past midnight. “Happy Birthday.” He said softly while giving a small smile. 

Derek froze and stared at Stiles with an alarmed look on his face. Stiles felt tense at the intensity in Derek’s eyes. “Birthday?” He whispered softly as if someone was listening to their conversation. 

“Yeah, it’s past midnight. The 25th is your birthday, right?” Stiles wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. 

There was a brief moment of silence where Derek continued to stare him down. “How’d you know?” 

He shrugged, trying to remember. “I think I saw it on some paperwork my dad brought home when he arrested you? I don’t really remember where I saw it, all I know is that it stuck with me.” Derek’s eye contact didn’t lessen and Stiles started feeling nervous. “My mom’s birthday was the day after Valentine's Day and she always hated it when both holidays were lumped together. My dad was always sweet and got her two different gifts, but I could still tell it bothered her. I figured that you probably felt pretty similar? So, instead of getting you a Christmas gift, I got you a birthday gift.” Fuck. He told himself he wasn’t going to ramble. He really wished Derek would stop staring. “If it’s too much or something, I can just go so yo--” 

Suddenly Derek’s face was the only thing he could see and automatically Stiles closed his eyes before he felt a hesitant brush of lips against his. All thoughts instantly faded away and the only thing Stiles was focused on was kissing those lips again and again. It didn’t even register that he was making out with Derek until they both needed to stop to catch their breaths. Derek pulled away and it was Stiles' turn to stare. 

Holy fuck. He had just kissed Derek Hale. No, wait. Correction. Derek Hale just kissed  _ him _ . Stiles’ brain slowly started reactivating again and he finally blinked. “That… that was good.” 

Derek chuckled and Stiles wanted to kiss him all over again, “I don’t think you understand how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

Stiles’ mouth fell open and Derek gently closed it for him. He cleared his throat, “ _ You’ve  _ wanted to do that for a while? I had to stop myself from climbing you like a tree back in September.” 

They both shared a look before breaking into giggles. “I guess we’re pretty bad at the fake dating thing, huh?” Derek smiled. 

Stiles nodded, “That or we’re so amazing that we tricked ourselves.” 

“I don’t care anymore.” Derek leaned in closer, “All I really want to do is kiss you again.” 

Stiles felt Derek’s lips ghost his own before he pulled away, “Wait. What about the gift though?” 

Derek gave Stiles an annoyed look which shouldn’t have been hot, but it was anyway. The werewolf looked down to the box that had somehow ended on the floor. He leaned down and picked it up, “The last time I got a birthday gift instead of a Christmas gift was high school.” The look he gave Stiles was full of love. “After the fire, I just stopped telling people when it was.”

Stiles smirked at him, “Nothing is a secret around me.” 

Derek unwrapped the present with care. Stiles almost wanted to rip it out of his hands and open it faster for him but he held back. Derek seemed to notice Stiles’ impatience and began peeling the paper even slower. Eventually--after a growl of frustration from the human--Derek finished the paper and tore the tape off that held the box together. He opened the flaps to peek in the box and glared at Stiles who had a giant smirk on his face. 

“Seriously?” Derek growled as he pulled the stuffed wolf out of the box. “Is this the same one?” 

“You mean the same one that you wasted fifteen bucks for a few months ago and still failed at getting? Yes.” Stiles patted the stuffed dog. “I went back to the booth after you left and got it on my second try.” 

“Second try?” Derek held the plushie up level to his face and looked at it, “No one has ever won me a gift before.” 

“Consider us even.” Stiles pulled his keys out of his pocket and dangled the wolf keychain. “Look, we match!” Derek put the stuffed animal on the coffee table. “So, about that kiss… is it safe to say there’s nothing fake about our relationship?” 

Derek leveled Stiles with a look, “Stiles?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Do me a favor and kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I wasn't expecting this to be so long, honestly! Thank you everyone who has read it, left kudos, or a comment! I'm pretty awful at responding to comments, but I still love and fangirl over every one I get! Thank you all!

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing a multi-chapter fic! I hope you enjoyed it! Updates should be every Monday.


End file.
